More then 2,000 trafficked children and lone child asylum seekers missing from UK councils' care

"More than 2,000 children who have been trafficked or who arrived in the UK alone to claim asylum disappeared from social services' care last year, according to freedom of information data shared with the Guardian. The authors of a report, Until Harm Ends, submitted FoI requests to children's services departments in councils across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland asking for information about trafficked children and those who arrived alone in the UK and claimed asylum, who then went missing after being taken into care."

"A total of 141 local authorities responded to questions about lone child asylum seekers in their care, who amounted to 11,999 children. Of these, 1,501 (13%) were reported missing. The report, published on Monday by the charities ECPAT UK (Every Child Protected Against Trafficking) and Missing People, warns that these groups are at very high risk of going missing from care."

Freedom of information returns from 135 local authorities identified 2,335 children who were trafficked or suspected of being trafficked, of whom 864 (37%) were reported missing from social services' care. Responses from 141 local authorities recorded 11,999 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in care, with 1,501 (13%) reported missing. Some trafficked children are British while others are from overseas and they face sexual or criminal exploitation, including county lines. Insecure immigration status increases vulnerability to re-trafficking and renewed exploitation. Local authorities and police have statutory safeguarding duties, yet central government lacks published national data and significant safeguarding failures persist.

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