DR ‹ › A growing number of disappearances have been recorded among unaccompanied Moroccan minors housed in child protection centers in the Canary Islands. According to available data, nearly 60% of missing unaccompanied minors in the archipelago are of Moroccan nationality, at a time when the local child protection system is facing an acute crisis due to the sharp rise in arrivals. The Canary Islands currently rank first in Spain for cases of missing minors. A total of 785 cases involve children who left protection centers and have either been missing for more than a year or reached adulthood while still unaccounted for. In 2024 alone, authorities registered 3,767 reports of missing minors, with Las Palmas emerging as the most affected province, accounting for 87.1% of cases involving individuals under the age of 18. The child protection system on the islands is under severe strain, with approximately 4,500 minors currently in care, more than double the recommended number and nearly three times official capacity. This situation has prompted regional authorities to declare a migrant emergency, according to Spanish media reports. The seriousness of the crisis was further underscored by the recent dismantling of an international trafficking network, which led to the arrest of 11 suspects accused of smuggling minors from the Canary Islands to France via routes passing through Morocco and Côte d'Ivoire. The investigation was launched after 13 minors disappeared from centers in Lanzarote and Gran Canaria between November 2024 and May 2025.
