Missing (Foreign) Minors in Italy: Lack of Engagement, Institutional Gaps, and Paths Forward

The disappearance of foreign minors in Italy is a long-standing and critically underexamined social phenomenon. Despite alarming figures, public and institutional attention remains episodic and media-driven, often limited to high-profile or criminal cases. This study offers a socio-forensic analysis of official data from 2014 to 2023, revealing significant inconsistencies in how these cases are reported, categorized, and followed up by Italian institutions. It highlights how unaccompanied and migrant minors are especially vulnerable within a fragmented and reactive system that lacks transparency and effective preventive measures. Rather than presenting new empirical data, the article reinterprets existing sources to expose systemic gaps, drawing comparisons with the more structured approaches adopted in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, and Spain. These international examples show how multilingual communication, early warning systems (e.g., AMBER Alert), and public geolocation tools can offer timely, coordinated responses to disappearances—tools that remain largely absent or underused in Italy. The article further argues for the integration of forensic geospatial methods, such as locus operandi analysis, remote sensing, and forensic geoarchaeology, not as experimental techniques, but as practical tools that could strengthen Italy’s institutional capacity to respond. Ultimately, this study seeks to elevate the discussion surrounding missing foreign minors from a marginal social concern to a matter of forensic and public interest, and to encourage interdisciplinary reflection on how such disappearances are framed—and too often dismissed—within the national landscape.