23 h. ago Actor Amelia Bullmore on why she’s backing The Independent’s SafeCall campaign

Actor Amelia Bullmore has issued a plea to the public to help reunite missing children with their families as she voiced her support for The Independent’s SafeCall campaign.

Politics

25 h. ago SafeCall campaign receives more than £35,000 in donations during first week

In its first week, the SafeCall campaign launched by The Independent and charity Missing People received a staggering £35,000 from two readers, which will go directly towards funding a free service for children who go missing and need support

Economics

47 h. ago Sir David Beckham backs The Independent’s SafeCall campaign to help missing children

The former England captain lends his support to The Independent’s SafeCall appeal with the charity Missing People, launched to raise £165,000 for a new lifeline for the 70,000 children reported missing each year

Events

48 h. ago ‘I lived in a toxic household – I went missing 27 times in a month and was barely eating’

At 15, Chereece Bateson was missing almost every day while living in care. Now 24, she tells Tara Cobham why she’s helping to build a new service designed to stop other children from falling through the cracks

Events

52 h. ago Parents search for children missing since a volcanic eruption in Colombia 40 years ago

Sergio Melendro was among hundreds of children missing after a volcanic eruption devastated Armero, Colombia, in 1985 and his mother Martha Lucía López still searches for him

Society

3 d. ago The truth about young people going missing – and the myths we must stop believing

Misconceptions about what to do when a child disappears can delay vital action. The Independent separates fact from fiction as part of our SafeCall campaign with the charity Missing People

Events

3 d. ago Sir Stephen Fry’s plea to help missing children as actor backs The Independent’s SafeCall campaign

Sir Stephen Fry has made a plea to the public to help missing children as the renowned actor and broadcaster backs The Independent’s SafeCall campaign.

Events

4 d. ago Inside the crucial 24 hours after a child goes missing – from CCTV checks to scouring social media

The first moments after a disappearance are critical. The Independent speaks to the charity Missing People about how officers act when a report comes in – and why speed can mean the difference between safety and harm

Events

4 d. ago ‘My son Alexander walked out of the door with no wallet and only the clothes on his back. He never returned’

When 16-year-old Alexander Sloley vanished in north London, his family’s life was changed forever. Seventeen years later, his mother tells Harriette Boucher that she is still fighting for answers – and for other missing children to be found before it’s too late

Politics

4 d. ago When I met Craig he was 13 and homeless. I still thought his life might turn around. I was tragically wrong

I knew he was running away from something. It wasn’t until many years later that I discovered the truthCraig was a runaway when I first met him. Missing from a local children’s home, he spent his days hanging out in Nottingham city centre. He had just turned 13 and he was tall for his age, easily recognisable with his blond hair, but he seemed invisible to the authorities.No one was looking for him or the other dozen children who congregated on the market square. Most of them had absconded from care, some were dodging school. A few, like Craig’s mate Mikey, just didn’t bother going home. The youngest runaway, Mark, claimed he’d been missing from foster care for months and had spent his 12th birthday on the run. They were glad to have found each other and for a week or so they slept together in an alleyway. Craig organised bedding. He had picked up some tips from the experienced rough sleepers, he told me, as he collected cardboard he’d stored behind a bin. “Keeps the cold off your b...

Events

4 d. ago How you can help reunite missing children with their families: The Independent Editor

Every year, more than 70,000 children in the UK are reported missing. The misery that follows – for the child, for the family, for the community – is often hidden. Too many of these young people have nowhere to turn when they need help most.

Society

5 d. ago The Independent is helping missing children get to safety – here’s how you can help

Editorial: Backed by Sir Stephen Fry, who himself disappeared 30 years ago, The Independent’s Christmas appeal aims to raise £165,000 to help the 70,000 children and teenagers who go missing in the UK each year to find a way back to safety

Events

5 d. ago How to get help when a child goes missing – and when to call 999

More than 70,000 children were reported missing last year, and the majority went missing more than once. The Independent has partnered with the Missing People charity to provide a free service which will help bring young people to a place of safety

Events

5 d. ago Sir Stephen Fry backs The Independent’s SafeCall campaign to help missing children find safety and support

The actor and broadcaster, a long-time advocate for mental health, says the cause is deeply personal after he once went missing himself. He is urging readers to support The Independent’s campaign with the charity Missing People to protect children in crisis

Events

5 d. ago ‘I went missing 50 times as a child – now I need to stop it happening to others’

After going missing dozens of times as a teenager, Jade Knight says the charity Missing People helped her turn her life around. She tells Tara Cobham why she’s supporting The Independent’s SafeCall campaign to protect children in crisis

Events

5 d. ago The Independent launches SafeCall campaign to help reach every missing child

A lifeline for missing children: support The Independent and Missing People’s campaign to launch a new helpline and help secure safer futures for vulnerable young people

Events

8 d. ago Extremely offline: what happened when a Pacific island was cut off from the internet – podcast

A colossal volcanic eruption in January 2022 ripped apart the underwater cables that connect Tonga to the world – and exposed the fragility of 21st-century lifeBy Samanth Subramanian. Read by Raj Ghatak Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Mississippi woman kills escaped monkey fearing for her children's safety

A homeowner in Mississippi has shot and killed one of the monkeys that escaped after a truck accident last week

Events

1 week ago Ukraine deploys special forces to Pokrovsk in effort to hold key city

Escalating battle for city comes as overnight Russian drone and missile strikes kill six people, including two childrenUkraine has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Russian assault involving thousands of troops, Kyiv’s top commander has said.The escalating battle in the strategically important city comes as an overnight wave of Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine killed six people, including two children, and cut power to tens of thousands, officials said on Sunday. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago More than 50 child asylum seekers still missing after disappearing from Kent care

Council data obtained by the Guardian shows 345 children have gone missing in recent years, many probably taken by traffickersMore than 50 lone child asylum seekers who disappeared soon after arriving in the UK and while in the care of the authorities are still missing, according to data obtained by the Guardian.Many of the missing children arrived in small boats or hidden in the backs of lorries and are thought to have been taken by traffickers. Kent is often the place where they arrive. Continue reading...

Events