Missing persons, Pellizzari: essential to start the search immediately

Disappeared into thin air. Every day an average of 80 people disappear in Italy, 13 more than in 2022. A growing trend, as illustrated by the 2023 Report of the Government's Extraordinary Commissioner for Missing Persons, Prefect Maria Luisa Pellizzari. And for the family, time stands still. It remains suspended in a wait made up of pain, dismay and hope. And for those who remain, there is also the problem of the missing person's estate management, which is dealt with by a bill being examined by the Senate's Justice Committee, first signed by Manfredi Potenti (League). The bill aims to revise the timeframe, halving it, for declaring the presumed death of the disappeared (currently it takes ten years to go to court).

'When someone goes missing, don't waste time'. This is the invitation addressed to citizens by the Government Commissioner's institutional campaign to raise awareness of the need to start searching for missing persons in good time. The report shows that overall - among Italians and foreigners - over 70% are positively resolved within a week (10,327 out of 14,159), almost 15% within the same day. More than 50% within three days of reporting a missing person.

"Unfortunately, the most exposed age groups are the 0-18 year olds, the minors. And in particular unaccompanied foreign minors. I want to give a positive and encouraging signal,' emphasises Prefect Pellizzari, 'because from the analyses carried out in the first six months of 2024 we have a 10 per cent decrease in complaints and an improvement in the index of finding people at 57 per cent. We have to wait for the summer period, which often increases the numbers, but it means that our activities are starting to bear fruit'. A combination of immediate reporting, timely searches, targeted training, dissemination of good practices.

In 2023, 29,315 missing persons were reported missing and 14,159 were found, 48.3 per cent. Thus, 15,156 reports were still active, while 188 people were found dead. This phenomenon mainly affects men (23,458) and young people. In the majority of cases - just under 75 per cent - these are young people who are under 17 (17,535 foreigners and 4,416 Italians). Their estrangements affect not only the national territory, but also other European countries towards which many young people seek their fortune or family or friendship reunions. And precisely in order to address young people, one of the commissioner's actions concerns schools, with training and awareness-raising activities on the phenomenon, to raise awareness on the risks of removal through the telling of concrete cases. Women, on the other hand, disappear less and are traced more: in 2023, 62.9 per cent of missing persons are men, 37.1 per cent women. In 2023, 1,163 persons who had disappeared in previous years were also traced.

What should be done when a person goes missing? "Inform the police immediately and call 112, which is the single emergency number. Even a telephone call is enough,' recalls Commissioner Pellizzari in the video interview with Sole 24 Ore, 'for the police forces and the prefectures to start searching. It is essential to avoid an old-fashioned behavioural pattern whereby one would have to wait 24-48 hours before reporting. Absolutely not, because our statistics show that in the first three days we have more than 50 per cent of finds and in the first week more than 70 per cent. So starting investigations immediately helps people to be found'.