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This year on May 25th, International Missing Children’s Day was granted a well-deserved spotlight with the release of 1 million 2-euro commemorative coins into circulation. Coins whose intent is to keep hope alive and shine a spotlight on the global crisis of missing children.
In efforts to raise awareness, a European organization, Child Focus, created Coins of Hope. A project which took two years, approval from the Royal Belgian Mint, Ministry of Finance, European Union, 19 EU member states, and King Phillippe of Belgium. The Belgian King has been featured on the obverse of the Belgian Euro since ascending to the throne after his brother, Albert II, in 2013, and gladly abdicated his likeness being featured so that acknowledgment of this growing issue could gain proper headway. Europe has an alarming rate of missing children; 1 child is reported missing every 2 minutes.
Taking King Phillippe’s place on the coins is Liam Vanden Branden. A young Belgian boy who went missing on May 3, 1996, while his grandmother watched him. His unfortunate disappearance has paved the road towards creating a new series of coins which are meant to help bring children home to their loved ones.
Vanden Branden was selected to be the first child featured on the coin due to his young age and length of being missing, a heart-wrenching 20 years. The likeness portrayed on the obverse of the new Belgian euro is what experts believe the 22-year-old would look like today.
The United States has engaged in a similar practice by placing the face of missing children on milk cartons and billboards. Etan Patz was the first child to appear on a milk carton after being reported missing 1979 while on his way to school from the bus stop.
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