Thousands of migrant children have gone missing after arriving in Europe. Lost in Europe aims to uncover the stories of these child migrants that get ‘lost’ after arriving in Europe. Now, the collective is opening an exhibition that illustrates what child migrants experience on their way.
The missing children are feared to have fallen into the hands of drug gangs or human traffickers. They have all but disappeared. The plight of child migrants in Europe is one of the most urgent issues in the so-called ‘migrant crisis’. Lost in Europe is a cross-border journalism project that, through investigative journalism, shines a light on the wrongdoing they experience in the European immigration and asylum systems. It comprises an international network of investigative journalists from the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Greece and the UK, working together to uncover the truth about what happens to these disappeared children.
In 2019 the National Geographic awarded Lost in Europe a grant to document the routes taken by child migrants from Italy, via France to the UK, using photography and journalism.
Lost in Europe states:
“Starting in spring 2019, we traced the journeys these children make. From the abandoned boats in Italy where they arrive, to cities such as Palermo in Sicily, where they begin their transit across Europe, heading for the Italian or French border, and finally the UK. All along these routes, we documented the locations where children disappear, creating an exhibition that will travel around Europe to share these untold stories.”
The exhibition opens 18 November in Brussels and features Ahmet Polat’s original photography, Dan Archer’s illustrations and Geesje van Haren’s investigative research, including a glossary of commonly-used terms, data points covering the statistical and legal aspects specific to each location, plus interview transcripts and field reporting.
You can visit the exhibition in Brussels until February 2022.
This event is co-organized by Defence for Children. Partners: National Geographic, Nationale Postcode Loterij.
Go to lostineurope.eu for more information about the exhibition and Lost in Europe.