Report finds alarming number of trafficked and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children go missing from care

The charities ECPAT UK and Missing People said in a report released last week that trafficked and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in the UK are going missing from care at an "alarmingly high" rate.

The 124-page report, Heading back to harm: A study on trafficked and unaccompanied children going missing from care in the UK, can be read here.

The report found that from September 2014 to September 2015, 28% of trafficked children (167 children) in care and 13% of unaccompanied children (593 children) in care went missing at least once. Of these, 207 missing trafficked or unaccompanied children had not been found.

The report adds, however, that the true number of trafficked and unaccompanied children going missing is likely to be far higher than the findings suggest.

ECPAT UK and Missing People says their research identified a worrying lack of consistency in the way in which local authorities identify and record risk of trafficking and exploitation, with many unable to report on overall numbers of trafficked and unaccompanied children in their care.

Chloe Setter, Head of Advocacy, Policy & Campaigns, ECPAT UK, said: "For too long, children who are at risk of exploitation, or who have been trafficked, have gone missing from care – sometimes repeatedly, sometimes forever. It is a national disgrace that this problem has remained neglected and these children rendered invisible by poor data collection and national coordination.

"Heading back to harm has attempted to shine a light on this problem and, in doing so, has unearthed an alarming trend of our most vulnerable children disappearing; hundreds of them never to be found. We must not accept this as a reality any longer. Every child that goes missing is a failure in our duty to protect them from harm. The government must listen to the voices and experiences of young people, and urgently redress the gaps in our protection systems that allow traffickers to flourish and children to suffer."

Susannah Drury, Director of Policy and Research, Missing People, was quoted as saying: "Any child who goes missing is at risk of harm, from sleeping rough or being a victim of crime or exploitation. Trafficked and unaccompanied children are especially vulnerable and in greater need of protection. It is therefore vital that any trafficked or unaccompanied child who goes missing is treated as high risk by the police and other agencies and that finding them and making them safe is always prioritised over any questions about their immigration status or criminal activity. It is also crucial that these vulnerable children are treated with respect and compassion by all professionals to create a culture of trust in their uncertain and unsettled lives."

Kevin Hyland, the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, welcomed the report and said in the foreword that not enough is currently known about the numbers and reasons why trafficked, unaccompanied and separated children are going missing from care, and what happens to them after they go missing.