Tenerife: Three Missing Care Girls Found
Three teenage girls in state care who went missing from a Tenerife reception center, reportedly to attend Carnival, were found unharmed by police, highlighting a recurring issue for the Canary Islands' child protection system.
The issue of children in state care going missing from reception centers in the Canary Islands has resurfaced. This time, three teenage girls were recently found in Tenerife. These girls, who are under the care of the regional government, had left the Aldeas Infantiles center last Monday. They reportedly intended to go to the Carnival events in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Local police from Santa Cruz de Tenerife and La Laguna coordinated the effort to find and return them.
A search began after the girls didn't return at the agreed time and were reported missing. Santa Cruz Local Police, working with the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office, started investigations and found one of the girls in the Los Gladiolos neighborhood. With help from La Laguna municipal police, the other two teenagers were located early yesterday morning and taken to a police station.
Once found, standard procedures were followed. It was confirmed the girls were unharmed and didn't need medical help. They were then returned to the staff at Aldeas Infantiles, their legal guardian. A full report of the incident has been sent to the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
This isn't an isolated incident. Figures show that many of the disappearances reported each year in Tenerife are children who have left care homes. Often, these young people stay with friends, family, or partners for different lengths of time before authorities find them. This ongoing pattern creates constant difficulties for the islands' child protection and supervision system.