1. Missing Young Girls in Nigeria used in Baby factories
In this episode, Karen talks to Ugochi Nkwunonwo about her recent research in baby factories in Nigeria. Young girls who are pregnant are stigmatised in Nigeria. To avoid shame they disappear and sometimes end up in baby factories where they give birth and lose their newborn. Not only is the young girl missing but the newborn is also missing as it has no identity.
2. What are families faced with when a person is missing?
Parental alienation is a label which is popularly used to describe a dynamic where a child rejects a parent. Karen Woodall is a psychotherapist who treats this problem from a relational perspective recognising that children who reject a parent are usually those who are hyper aligned to a caregiver who is causing them harm. Thinking about the issue from the experience of the child, offers a clearer understanding of this much misunderstood problem in family separation.
3. How is trauma therapy helping after a missing episode?
In this episode, Karen talks to Pascale Waschnig about different forms of trauma encountered during a missing episode and from services that are in contact with relatives of missing people and how art can assist in expressing the trauma a person has experienced.
4. The critial balance between high publicity appeals and privacy for the missing person
In this episode we talk to Simona Ciobotaru, Senior Lecturer in Cybercrime at the University of Portsmouth about the complex issue of media bias on missing person cases. Research has shown that media has been bias to highlighting white women who are missing then others. We discuss why and how we can help to change it?
5. The importance of case reviews and the use of technology in cold cases
In this episode Karen talks to Cheryl about long term missing cases and how challenging they are to investigate. The need to use new technology and investigative methods to help bring closure to families.
6. How is Europe tackling the unaccompanied missing minors crisis
In recent years, Europe has witnessed a surge in human mobility, which regrettably includes children. In 2022, the influx of migrant children into Europe rose by almost 50% compared to the previous year. Tragically, a significant portion of these children subsequently go missing. NGOs such as Child Focus and Missing Children Europe are dedicated to aiding in the search for these missing children.
7. Providing a voice to the voiceless
Willie Fouche explains how in his Forensic Pathology Service they help identify individuals who have no forensic or digital identity. Many of the unclaimed bodies he encounters are stateless and can only be identified through collaboration and using multiple investigative techniques.
8. How effective are we inrecognizing missing people from public appeals?
Can we recognize a missing person when they stand in front of us? Dr. Stefana Juncu shares with us her research on how accurate visual identification of a missing person can be. She explains the most effective ways for a public appeal to be successul in engaging the public in the recovery of a missing person.
9. The support mechanisms for LGBTQ+ community when they go missing
In our last episode for Season 3, Karen talks to Dr. Brian Frederick about the vulnerability of going missing within the LGBTQ+ community. He explains the importance of providing support and safe spaces for vulnerable young people. He is currently conducting a landscape analysis on what kind of resources countries have for LGBTQ+ community.
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