PORTUGAL IS one of the few European member states that has begun to implement recommendations by the European Commission to provide a free hotline dedicated to missing children and a free helpline for children requiring support.
Only a minority of European member states have taken action recommended by the commission in 2007 to provide a missing child hotline in each country.
It asked member states to reserve six digit telephone numbers beginning with 116 for helplines but a recent survey revealed little action has been taken to put these numbers into operation.
The combined total of children reported missing in the UK and Belgium alone was more than 7,500 in 2007 and cases such as the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have increased European awareness of the issue of missing children. This situation has led the commission to criticise the apparent apathy of states in providing this essential service.
Hungary was applauded by the commission as being the only country to make 116 services fully operational. However, Portugal was one of only seven states that has assigned the 116 000 number and one of only 10 countries with 116 111 currently in use.
Following this initiative in Europe, the International Telecommunications Union called last month for the 116 111 helpline number to be assigned globally to help all children.
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