When ECPAT UK and Missing People carried out a survey, they found out that almost 600 children disappeared last year. The worst parts being that more than two hundred are still missing.
The findings of the survey is a very dreading situation. After this survey, United Kingdom was told to modify the child protection system. As a result, special training was also carried out for the care of these children.
Another study, however, was presented in the parliament that revealed more than a quarter of all trafficked children went missing every month. In the report of The Guardian, it was found some 593 unaccompanied youngsters under the protection of the authorities in the United Kingdom and 13 percent unaccompanied children from care services also vanished in the same time while around 200 of them are still missing.
Most of the missing children are from Vietnam, Albania, Afghanistan, Eritrea and the United Kingdom. ECPAT UK's advocacy and policy head Chloe Setter said that the data about the missing children is a "huge concern."
The study also highlighted the fact that there are some issues with the identification and recording process. Setter even added the authorities need to boost their efforts in recognizing and recording evidence on defenseless children.
Moreover, the study also showed the sad reality that the government failed to identify trafficked children. Poor child protection measures, asylum and immigration concerns were also noted as reasons why children are going missing. The report also uncovered many hard realities.
According to ECPAT survey, 75 percent of the trafficked children were from London, the South East, East Anglia and the East and West Midlands. The highest numbers of children disappearing belong to various councils in Thurrock, Hillingdon, Croydon, Kent and Surrey. When talking about nationalities of the trafficked children, the top three are Vietnamese, British and Albanian.
Meanwhile, Missing People Policy and Research director Susannah Drury said that it is very important that police and all the other authorities treat missing kids' especially trafficked children as their top priority. That's why the United Kingdom's government is working for this cause vigorously. They are providing special training and the command on care houses have also been increased.
