Concerns Grow About Albanian Children Missing in UK

A British minister said Albanian children are prominent among migrant youngsters who have gone missing from hostels and hotels run by the Home Office - the UK equivalent to the Interior Ministry.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick told MPs that of 4,600 child asylum seekers who had arrived in the UK since 2021, 440 had gone missing and only about half had returned.

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office Simon Murray said that of those 200 missing migrant children, most were Albanians. "Out of 200, 88 per cent are Albanian nationals," Murray said on Monday.

Andi Hoxhaj, a lecturer in London said the UK has done nothing to protect the most vulnerable, especially young Albanians, who are one of the groups most vulnerable to trafficking.

"Young Albanians are among the most vulnerable demographics for child trafficking, and the UK government's rhetoric and overall hostile environment toward migrants, as well as its refusal to acknowledge the risk that they may face if deported back to Albania, have resulted in a significant number of missing children who are now being exploited by traffickers and organised crime networks," he told BIRN.

Altin Hazizaj, who runs an organization that focuses on children's rights in Tirana, also stressed concerns related to the issue.

"These facts raise a very serious question on the ability of the UK government to protect children. International law requires from UK to protect unaccompanied children same as British children. One has to wonder if this lack of care and responsibility comes from the fact that they are mostly Albanian children," Hazizaj told BIRN.

BIRN asked Albania government about this issue but did not receive a response by the time of publication.<...