CYP Now - Sharp increase in proportion of trafficked children missing from care

The proportion of trafficked children who go missing from local authority care has increased by a quarter over two years, new research shows.

Children who have been trafficked are more likely to go missing from care, research shows. Picture: Adobe Stock

One in three trafficked children went missing from council care in England in 2020, 25 per cent more than those who went missing in 2018, a new report from Every Child Protected Against Trafficking UK (ECPAT UK) and Missing People finds.

It notes that in 2020, children who had been trafficked went missing an average of eight times in one year compared with 6.5 times for non-trafficked children in the care system.

The number of trafficked children has increased from 960 in 2018 to 1,231 in 2020, the report shows.

The charities are warning that the increase in the number of trafficked children missing from care could indicate they are being re-trafficked.

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