No fewer than 2,500 people joined the search for missing Yoran (16) from Sleeuwijk last Saturday. A number that far exceeded expectations. Why do we come to the rescue en masse in such a situation? Sociologist Peter Achterberg knows all about that. “A boy like that is extremely vulnerable.”
It was the largest civilian search operation in the Netherlands ever. They searched for Yoran in large lines within a radius of about thirty kilometers around Sleeuwijk. He has been missing since December 24. A day after he disappeared, his bicycle was found on the Merwede Bridge. Last Friday, the police also found his jacket in the Merwede after a tip. Unfortunately, the search itself yielded nothing a day later.
According to Achterberg, there are several reasons why the call to join the search has been responded to so en masse. According to the sociologist at Tilburg University, this starts with Yoran’s age. “We are dealing with a vulnerable child here. Yoran is 16 years old. In the prime of his life, everything is still ahead of him. You saw the same with Hebe and her nanny Sanne.” The whole of the Netherlands also sympathized with their disappearance in the autumn of 2022.
“I don’t live in the area at all, but I know all about it.”
According to Achterberg, the area from which Yoran went missing also plays a role. “It does not happen in a large, anonymous city, but in a small place where many people know each other. There is no comparative scientific research, but you can imagine that that sense of community and solidarity contributes to the will to help.”
Another factor is the big, unanswered question hanging over Yoran’s disappearance. “It is a mystery that many people would like to see solved. In addition, it is also covered a lot in the media. I don’t live in the area at all, but I still know everything about it.”
“It would have been much better if this had not been necessary at all.”
Achterberg does not share the idea that we have all become so individualistic that these types of relief efforts are a rarity. “People often confuse individualism with selfishness. It is absolutely not the case that we as humans become separated from society. Look at how many people volunteer or provide informal care.”
Bottom line, according to Achterberg, it is a good signal that so many people joined the campaign. “But it would have been much better if this had not been necessary at all.”
Below you can see how hundreds of people searched for traces of Yoran.
EVERYTHING ABOUT THE QUEST FOR YORAN:
Yoran’s coat was previously found in the Merwede
This volunteer search team helps search for Yoran: ‘Last straw’