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Missing children: A demographic analysis of child disappearances in Guatemala

Diego Alburez-Gutierrez, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR)
Carolina Coimbra Vieira, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR)
Tom Theile, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Marília Nepomuceno, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR)

Demographers have long neglected the population of ‘disappeared’ - individuals reported as missing by family or friends. As a result, little is known about the composition of this population by sex and age. However, the prevalence of disappeared people can be high in regions experiencing high levels of violence. Here, we offer the first detailed picture of the demographic composition and dynamics of the population of disappeared children (0-17 yo) in Guatemala. For this, we use individual-level data on disappearances collected from Twitter and official data from the Guatemalan National Police. In our ongoing analysis, we investigate the impact of disappearances on age- and sex-specific mortality rates under different scenarios. Preliminary results reveal a high concentration of disappeared individual below age 18. Adolescent women are the most likely group to be reported as missing. This paper shows the need for more studies on the population of disappeared. The results also have policy implications. Initially, we advocate for much-needed protection to children in general and young women in particular. We also highlight the need to provide support to individuals who experienced the disappearance of a loved one and inhabit, as a result, a liminal space somewhere between grief and loss.

Keywords: Children and youth, Digital and computational demography, Mortality, Gender

See extended abstract.

  Presented in Session P15.