Missing Teenage Girl | “We need you back”

Since Ghita Ammari, 15, left without a trace, her family has not slept, fearing the “worst case scenarios” for her.

Florence Morin Martel
The Press

“For the whole family, there are nightmares at night and nightmares during the day, anxiety all the time,” breathes Nissrine Ammari, 21, Ghita’s big sister. “My mother is becoming downright physically weak from going through this all the time. »

On December 11, Ghita Ammari left her home in Laval around 1 p.m. and never returned. Before leaving, she said nothing to anyone, says Nissrine Ammari. Neither his family nor his friends. In the morning, she would have hugged her little brother Mohamed, aged 5, telling him that “she loved him very much”, says her sister.

According to information from the Laval Police Department, the teenager is in the Toronto area. A search notice was sent out on December 14 to find her. Police say they fear for his safety.

Lately, the teenager was going through a difficult period in several spheres of her life. “It was just too much all of a sudden,” says Nissrine Ammari. His family tried to support him in these hardships. Without success. “She’s not a girl who likes to be told what to do,” explains the 21-year-old.

In mid-November, the teenager had run away for the first time, but was found shortly after by the police.

The family, without news for more than a month and a half, lives with fear in their stomachs. “The worst scenarios go through my head”, drops Nissrine Ammari. Especially for a teenager in a city that is not hers, she adds.

“We need you to come home,” continues Nissrine Ammari, addressing her sister.

Hoping for her return, her family talks about her all the time. “She needs to know that she left a void,” said Nissrine Ammari, her voice shaking with emotion. Mohamed, their youngest brother, is constantly looking for her. “He said, ‘Where is she, Ghita? I miss her. I want to play with her,” says the young woman.

The scourge of runaways still present

With nearly 5,000 disappearances of children and adolescents reported each year, the majority of whom are runaways, the phenomenon remains a scourge in Quebec, according to Pina Arcamone, executive director of the Réseau Enfants-Retour. In 2020, 3,831 reports were made, a considerable drop compared to 2019, when 5,805 disappearances were reported. The confinement and closure of schools probably played a role in this decrease, estimates M^me Arcamon.

The number of disappearances for the year 2021 has not yet been released by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. But according to Pina Arcamone, there were more runaway cases than the previous year. “We’ll see how it translates,” she said. But I can say that in 2022, the year started again with other disappearance files. »

Suffering, rebellion, feeling of rejection, mental health problems, failures at school or in friendship: many factors can explain a runaway, argues Pina Arcamone. “It’s really an escape from a situation that a young person may find insurmountable,” she says.

But by fleeing, these children and adolescents put themselves in more danger, continues Ms.^me Arcamon. Feeding, housing and clothing becomes a challenge for them, lists the director general of the Missing Children’s Network. “Often these young people are vulnerable as soon as they leave home,” she explains. They can be lured by sexual predators or fall into traps, be it crime, drugs or alcohol. Some runaways even go so far as to kill themselves.

Not all children who run away are fleeing an abusive environment, Pina Arcamone points out. “Families shouldn’t feel guilty or ashamed to call for help,” she says. You are not the only ones, many families live this experience. »

Anyone who has information that could help find Ghita Ammari can confidentially contact the Info Line at 450 662-INFO (4636) or 911, mentioning file LVL 211 211-047.