The Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism was awarded on Wednesday to the Lost in Europe project for its investigation into the disappearance of unaccompanied minors once they arrive in Europe.
Around 20 investigative journalists from Belgium (VRT, De Standaard, Knack), Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands and the UK, are involved in the collaborative journalism project.
Their latest survey, published on 30 April 2024, revealed that more than 50,000 unaccompanied migrant children disappeared in Europe in 2021 and 2023, and the figure could be even higher.
Aagje Leven, Secretary General of Missing Children Europe, noted that these findings were likely just the "tip of the iceberg," as more child migrants continue to disappear at alarming rates in Europe, with many feared to be victims of human trafficking and modern slavery.
Of the 27 European countries the project team asked for data, plus Moldova, Norway, the UK and Switzerland, only 20 responded to their requests, and only 13 countries provided data, team member Geesje van Haren said as she accepted the award on behalf of the group of journalists.
Important countries such as Spain and France did not even respond properly, she added, stressing that the Member States of the European Union were responsible for the children.
Backed by the European Parliament and awarded for the first time in 2021, the prize was created as a tribute to Maltese journalist and anti-corruption campaigner Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed in a car bomb explosion on 16 October 2017 at the age of 53.
Endowed with €20,000, it is awarded each year around the anniversary of her death by a jury of representatives of the press and civil society from the 27 EU Member States.
