Sharon Keogan cites report: a child disappears every two minutes
Sharon Keogan cited a missingchildreneurope.eu report saying a child disappears every two minutes in Europe and outlined multiple causes, including running away, parent abduction, migration and online grooming. She urged support for legislation that protects children up to age 18, said she will stand with Senator Flynn and colleagues, and welcomed Government backing while noting a drafting issue on international obligations.
Key statistic
It tells of a report from missingchildreneurope.eu that a child disappears every two minutes in Europe, a figure the speaker described as shocking and central to the urgency of the debate.
Reasons children disappear
The speaker listed several reasons children go missing - running away, parent abduction, migration-related cases including about 50,000 unaccompanied minors in the EU over the last year, criminal abductions, and incidents where children are lost or injured. She warned that some of these children may have been targeted through online grooming, trafficked, and sexually abused and exploited.
Support for legislation
The speaker urged passage of the proposed legislation, saying it protects children up to the age of 18. She said she will stand with Senator Flynn and colleagues in support and welcomed that the Government also supports the measure.
Drafting and international obligations
On an amendment concerning international obligations, the speaker said the provision would need further consideration in drafting to ensure the intended effect but described this as essentially a drafting matter that is not insurmountable. A minister was invited to respond during the discussion.
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Indeed, shockingly, there is a report out today from missingchildreneurope.eu. It tells us that a child disappears every two minutes in Europe. Think about that. There are many reasons why children will disappear. It might be they will run away, it might be because of parent abduction, it could be children in migration, and indeed Europe has seen 50,000 unaccompanied minors in the EU over the last year. There could be criminal abductions, there could be lost, injured, there are a number of reasons. But many of those children, not many, but I'd say some of those children would have been targeted through online grooming and trafficked and sexually abused and exploited. So let us do the right thing with this piece of legislation. This piece of legislation protects the child, right up to the age of 18. That is who it protects and that is why I will stand with Senator Flynn and our colleagues on this piece of legislation and I welcome the Government supporting it as well. Thank you very much, Senator. Minister, if you wish to respond. Thank you. And again, just to say that we are not opposing this amendment, I am advised that this provision for international, as termed international obligations, would need further consideration in drafting in order to ensure that it has the intended effect, but that it is essentially a drafting matter and again, it is not insurmountable. Thank you very much, Senator. ... ... . ... ...
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