Joint Committee on Human Rights: 40 Children Who Vanished From Asylum Hotels Still Not Found

The Joint Committee on Human Rights reported on 27 August 2026 that 40 of the more than 470 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who went missing from Home Office asylum hotels since 2023 remain unaccounted for, calling it a 'significant child protection failure.' Of the 472 children who disappeared, 432 have since been located, with the outstanding figure falling from 118 in 2024 to 78 in 2025 to 40 now; all but two of the remaining 40 are believed to have since turned 18. Former minister Angela Eagle said some recovered children had been 'located in exploitative situations and may have been trafficked or victims of other forms of exploitation.' England's Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza called the disappearances 'an unacceptable failure' and demanded the government set out what action it is taking. The cross-party committee wrote to the Home Secretary demanding quarterly updates on efforts to locate the remaining children and to explain why the disappearances occurred, noting the practice of housing lone child asylum seekers in hotels was ruled unlawful by the High Court in 2023.