Missing Girls: Scale, Causes and What the World — and We — Must Do Now Summary: Millions of children go missing, and a disproportionate share of detected trafficking and exploitation victims are girls. Conflict, displacement, poverty, weak protection systems and organised crime drive a global crisis. This post summarises the most reliable global data, highlights country/region patterns, and proposes concrete prevention and cautious steps for governments, NGOs, communities and parents. 1. The scale — global overview (key facts) Recent UNODC data show a sharp rise in detected human-trafficking victims after the pandemic; children made up 38% of detected victims between 2020–2023, and girls are a large share of those children. Sexual exploitation remains the dominant form of trafficking affecting women and girls. ( UNODC ) Millions of children are displaced by conflict and other crises — displacement greatly increases risk of disappearance, exploitation and trafficking. UNICEF reports t...