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More than half of children known or suspected of being trafficked into the UK across three English regions have gone missing from social services care, a report published yesterday reveals.
 
The study by End Child Pornography, Child Prostitution and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Exploitation UK, a coalition of children’s charities, found that of 80 children who had been placed in councils’ care in the north east, north west and the West Midlands 48 had gone missing.  They were never found.
 

The report covers all cases where child trafficking was known or thought to be a factor no matter how old they were but the majority were from within the past 12 months to two years.

All of the interviews with councils, which make up the research, were conducted from May to October 2006.
 
The majority of children who go missing do so within the first 24-78 hours of being in care, say researchers.

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