There has been another rise in the official number of children left in a foreign country by their parents but the real total is far higher, according to the government hotline set up to register incidents.

Last year, 39 dependents, 11 of whom were minors, were left abroad, usually in their parents’ country of origin, the LKHA said. The hotline was set up in 2015 and the number or reports has risen steadily since then.

The LKHA estimates the real figure to be between 150 and 800. Most of those involved are teenagers and being dumped has a ‘far reaching and traumatic’ impact on the youngsters.

Both boys and girls are often left behind when the family returns to the Netherlands after a holiday because of perceived behavioural problems – parents are unhappy their offspring have developed different norms and values to themselves and, for example, are more prone to answering back.

‘They see leaving the child abroad, often in their country of origin, as a last resort,’  Eliane Smits van Waesberghe, from the integration and society platform KIS, said. ‘We must stop thinking that this is a private matter and ask questions when there is suddenly an empty chair in the classroom.’

It is important that social workers and migrant organisations get involved to stop the practice because of the damaging effect on young people’s development, the researchers say.

‘If you look at the relationship between parents and children with a western view, you will often see the ‘normal’ tensions between a loud-mouthed teenager and a parent,’ said LKHA director Diny Flierman. ‘You might conclude that there is nothing going on, but you should keep asking questions.’