Number of children reported missing every year one third higher than in 2000

The number of children who go missing in the Czech Republic every year has risen by about a third in the last decade, Lidové noviny reported. Last year over 8,500 children were reported missing, around 3,000 more than in the year 2000, the newspaper said. In most cases the missing children are aged between 15 and 18. The police said they had observed a trend of children being abducted as a result of conflict between their separated parents. Another significant group are those who abscond, sometimes repeatedly, from children’s homes. May 25 is International Missing Children’s Day.