Child refugees are feared to have slipped into the hands of traffickers and other criminals after arriving in Britain.
An investigation found the vulnerable minors went missing more than 700 times this year.
Many made a dangerous journey across the Channel while others arrived from countries including Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran, Eritrea and Vietnam.
Migrants as young as nine have disappeared from council care 744 times this year.
In one case, a 15-year-old Vietnamese boy was feared to have been forced into slavery after he was placed alone in a hotel by the Home Office and he disappeared overnight, the Times reports.
Another child refugee has been reported missing 159 times in just 12 months.
Experts said there are two common reasons for child refugees going missing. Some are trafficked to the UK and snatched as soon as they land and made to carry out illegal work like cannabis farming.
Others arrive hoping to make a new start but failures in their care, such as being placed alone in temporary hotel accommodation for weeks, leave them despondent and at risk of leaving and falling into the hands of criminals.
Local authorities said their services and ability to accommodate children were at breaking point after the military withdrawal from Afghanistan and record numbers of Channel crossings by small boats.
Responding to freedom of information requests, nearly every council responsible for caring for child refugees reported refugee children who had gone missing from their care.
Kent County Council has looked after more than double its quota of migrant children because of its position a landing point for Channel crossings.
It said 727 unaccompanied child migrants had been reported missing since 2015.
The charity Every Child Protected Against Trafficking said the responses ‘highlights the high risks of abuse unaccompanied and separated children face right now’.
It added: ‘We urge the government and local authorities to provide all separated and unaccompanied children with protection, care and support under The Children Act 1989 to protect them from exploitation and re-trafficking.’
SOURCE: Metro
