A lone refugee child has been missing for more than a year after disappearing, aged 12, from a UK hotel, The National can reveal.
The youngster was one of hundreds of refugee children who vanished from hotels amid fears they had been lured away by criminal gangs.
The authorities in the UK are facing heavy criticism that they are failing to protect child asylum seekers.
Housing lone refugee children in hotels was ruled unlawful in July after charity Every Child Protected Against Trafficking (ECPAT) took legal action against Kent County Council.
In his ruling, judge Martin Chamberlain revealed that according to data sent to the UK parliament in April 2023, 447 unaccompanied asylum seeker children had by that time gone missing from these hotels, mostly within 72 hours of arrival.
He said that they were “mostly 16 or 17-year-olds but they also include 11 children aged 15, a 14-year-old and a 12-year-old”.
Following a Freedom of Information request made by The National, the Home Office disclosed in November that 144 of the children were still missing but initially refused to reveal if the 12-year-old was among them.
Following an appeal and lengthy delay, the Home Office has now finally disclosed that the child has not been found.
The department has refused to provide an update and said “it’s government policy not to comment on individual cases”.
Patricia Durr, the chief executive of ECPAT, told The National: “The fact that children went missing and remain missing from hotels in which they were unlawfully accommodated by the Home Office is a national child protection scandal in need of independent inquiry and investigation.
“It is imperative that all efforts are made to find this child, if they remain missing and to address the risks and their need for protection and care.
“We remain very concerned about the welfare of every child who is missing and vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.”
She said that ECPAT, along “with many others, raised concerns about this potential outcome from the very start when Kent County Council derogated from its duty to look after all unaccompanied children in its area”.
While the Home Office says it no longer uses hotels to house children, fears have been raised that new asylum legislation could mean under-18s being removed.
Ms Durr warned that could mean more children disappearing as they go to ground in a bid to stay in the UK.
“We are very concerned that current government policy to detain and remove children once they reach the age of 18 is leaving children more at risk and we anticipate seeing more children going missing,” she said.
It comes as Home Office figures reveal more than 20,000 asylum seekers have gone missing in the UK in the past five years.
The figures, obtained by the Daily Mail, also through Freedom of Information, shows these cases were logged on a “service to file” database because officials did not know where they were and had no way of contacting them.
More than 8,000 people have arrived in Britain so far this year on small boats, with many fleeing war or famine and travelling through Europe to the UK.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made “stopping the boats” one of his main political pledges and has been attempting to get a controversial plan to send failed asylum seekers to Rwanda up and running.
A delayed report published into the use of hotels to house refugee children was finally published in March.
Traffickers reportedly targeted the hotels where children are placed and made false promises of lucrative employment or education.
There have been cases of gangs threatening family members back home or keeping children accountable for family debt.
People-trafficking gangs used mobile phone trackers to find refugee children staying in British hotels and lure them away, with some even abducted at knifepoint, The National has been told.
The accommodation of lone refugee children in hotels formed part of a Home Affairs Select Committee inquiry into human trafficking.
In its report, the cross-party committee of MPs says the government “needs to show greater urgency in securing more appropriate accommodation that is suitable for the needs of children, notwithstanding the need to keep families together”.
Every child who goes missing from home or care should be considered as a potential victim of trafficking, it said.
The committee has told the Home Office to update members “with its progress in finding these children by the end of this year, and we expect to receive regular updates thereafter until the problem is resolved”.
Its report details how it heard evidence that unaccompanied asylum seeker children as young as 10 had been “placed in these hotels with no access to legal or mental health support”.
The Home Office said in a statement that when unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) go missing “a multi-agency missing persons protocol is mobilised to establish their whereabouts and ensure they are safe”.
The department says it has worked closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and National Crime Agency to set out countrywide guidance and best practice on missing UASC investigations, which has been shared with police forces across the UK.
An Asylum Safeguarding Hub continues to monitor and review the cases where a child remains missing from a Home Office operated UASC Hotel, liaising with statutory partners to share new information as it comes to light.
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
This is an info box
- info goes here
- and here
- and here
FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT)
Tuesday
Mairobr v Liverpool
Spartak Moscow v Sevilla
Feyenoord v Shakhtar Donetsk
Manchester City v Napoli
Monaco v Besiktas
RB Leipzig v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur
Wednesday
Benfica v Manchester United
CSKA Moscow v Basel
Bayern Munich v Celtic
Anderlecht v Paris Saint-Germain
Qarabag v Atletico Madrid
Chelsea v Roma
Barcelona v Olympiakos
Juventus v Sporting Lisbon
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
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EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
