A/HRC/19/64 The situation of Roma children in the EU is particularly worrying, due to a range of factors that may make them especially vulnerable and exposed cc to poor health, poor housing, poor nutrition, exclusion, discrimination and violence dd. Social exclusion of Roma children is often linked to lack of birth registration, low participation in early childhood and higher education, high school drop-out rates, trafficking and labour exploitation. Segregation is a crucial barrier preventing access to quality education for Roma children. Children may go missing regardless of their age, gender or social status. There is little knowledge about the reasons why children run away from home or from institutions in which they live, but we do know that the risks are enormous: risks to their safety, mental and physical health, well-being and life. Missing children can suffer violence and abuse; they can be trafficked or exposed to begging and prostitution. The Commission has identified a number of tools that can be of help in case a child is missing. For several years now, some Member States ee have been introducing public alert systems in cases of child abduction or disappearances of children in circumstances which could pose a serious risk to the safety and well-being of the children concerned. The Commission will continue to promote cross-border cooperation between Member States in cases of criminal abductions of children through child alert mechanisms. In order to enhance cooperation in this field, the Member States agreed, in June 2009, on better use of the Schengen Information System, and the related SIRENE Bureaux based in each Member State, in the search for the missing children. The Commission will contribute to this process by adopting, by May 2011, a new version of the SIRENE Manual, within a Commission Decision. This will contain the set of rules and procedures for such cases. The 116 000 hotline for missing children offers help, support and a potential lifeline for missing children and their parents. Because of the poor rate of implementation of the hotline at EU level, in 2010 the Commission adopted a Communication ff32 with the objective to encourage the Member States to implement the missing children hotline as a matter of priority and to ensure that the same high quality of service is offered throughout the Union. The Commission will continue to closely monitor the implementation of the hotline for missing children in all Member States. If no further progress is made within a reasonable timeframe, the Commission will consider presenting a legislative proposal to make sure that the 116 000 hotline is fully operational in all Member States. Children can also be especially vulnerable in relation to modern technology. Online technologies bring unique opportunities to children and young people by providing access to knowledge and allowing them to benefit from digital learning and participate in the public debate. Children are particularly vulnerable when they are confronted with harmful content and conduct, such as cyber-bullying and grooming, in audiovisual media and on the Internet. Children across Europe testify that physical and emotional bullying in schools is cc dd ee ff Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on Non-discrimination and equal opportunities: A renewed commitment, COM (2008) 420 final, available at: http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0420:FIN:EN:PDF. Breaking the barriers: Romani women and access to public health care. Report by the former EU European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (now EU Fundamental Rights Agency), 2003. To date, a child alert system is in place in eight Member States: the Netherlands, Portugal, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Greece, Germany and the United Kingdom. Commission Communication "Dial 116000: the European hotline for missing children" COM(2010) 674, available at: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/policies/children/docs/com_2010_674_en.pdf. 99