The continued forced disappearance of the underage Coptic girl, Silvana Atef, who has an intellectual disability, has been ongoing since the end of October. She has not yet turned eighteen, and her situation is compounded by a young man who has hidden her in his family’s home, claiming that he intends to marry her, as he stated during his interrogation by the prosecution. On the other hand, the Tamia prosecution in Fayoum has decided to place the girl in a government care facility under the Ministry of Social Solidarity instead of returning her to her family, disregarding the laws protecting children and individuals with disabilities. This situation has led to immense outrage among her family members and the Coptic community both in Egypt and abroad, while political leaders, relevant ministries, and members of the House of Representatives and Senate, especially Coptic members, have remained suspiciously silent. Religious leaders and institutions, particularly within the Christian community, who have previously acted decisively against the disappearances of some priests’ wives, have also not taken action.

The obstinacy of government institutions in concealing the girl from her family and misleading them about her whereabouts in a care facility, as mandated by the prosecution, is a disgrace to citizenship and humanity, amounting to the abduction of a minor by official government bodies. This follows a ruling by the Tamia court declaring itself incompetent on January 28, 2026, after three months of accepting and postponing the case, during which the court left the girl with a foreign family that has no legitimate connection to her. This family has committed an even greater crime by filming two videos of her and posting them on social media, wherein she disavows her Christian family and claims to have converted to Islam.

The sorrow and frustration experienced by Silvana’s family have led them to visit multiple police stations, the prosecution, and courts in search of their missing daughter, all to no avail. Ultimately, they staged a protest in front of the Attorney General’s office, which resulted in their arrest, though they were later released. Tragically, the mother’s tears and broken heart have not moved any governmental authorities to act against the forced disappearance of her daughter by state institutions. There remains a significant cover-up by the leadership of police, judicial, and social institutions that are fully aware of the missing girl’s location, yet no charges have been brought against those who concealed her, filmed her without her parents’ consent, and shared these videos online. The videos, featuring a mentally disabled child making statements she cannot be held accountable for, contain derogatory remarks about the Christian faith. This situation indicates a conspiracy involving government institutions and those who have hidden her, waiting several days until she reaches the age of eighteen, and then presenting her in a hijab, as seen in the video, along with a statement of conversion to Islam. There is a significant possibility that Salafi threats of protests and insults directed at church leaders loom over any potential return of the girl to her family or the church, reminiscent of past incidents involving Salafi groups during the return of some relatives of priests after their disappearance.