Home Office hotels for unaccompanied children seeking asylum increased the risks of them being trafficked
The use of the Home Office hotels for unaccompanied children seeking asylum increased the risks of them being trafficked and exploited, according to new research carried out by UCL and ECPAT UK.
The research linked adultification and children being placed in adult accommodation for people seeking asylum, which still remains a risk now that the child hotels have closed. The research also raised particular concerns about young, unaccompanied Albanian nationals and the increased risk of trafficking, linked to the relabelling of Albania as a ‘safe country’ for removal and ‘scapegoating’ of Albanian people in media, as well as in the political discourse.
The report’s recommendations include that the UK Government should commit to an independent inquiry into the disappearance of children from Home Office hotels, sufficiently fund local authorities to provide quality care and support to all unaccompanied children seeking asylum and to commit to only determine someone is an adult in exceptional circumstances.