THE UK’s leading charity for those affected by missing people is gathering evidence to address the numbers of Black children going missing.

Missing People expect to be able to share their research in July, where it will tell what they know and make recommendations on what they would like to see happen, including whether the government needs to take more action. 

The charity is asking people to submit their accounts of having a child go missing through a confidential helpline, so it can better understand the experiences of Black families going through the system. It is also holding consultations with family members who have previously mentioned discrimination in their cases when working with them.

Between 2019 and 2020, Black people accounted for 14.2 per cent of missing people in England and Wales, according to the National Crime Agency’s most recent data. This is an overrepresentation by over four times compared with the general population, of which 3 per cent are Black.

Between 2019 and 2020, Black people accounted for 14.2 per cent of missing people in England and Wales, according to the National Crime Agency’s most recent data. This is an overrepresentation by over four times compared with the general population, of which 3 per cent are Black.

The NCA did not break down data by age and ethnicity of missing people in a singular category, so it is unclear how the trends of Black children going missing has changed over the last year.

However, growing numbers of the Black community are voicing their concerns on social media over what appears to be a “distressing”  trend of Black children going missing. 

Georgia Romeril, the Senior Marketing Manager at Missing People, said they are too early in their research to understand any reasons behind the potential trends, but that they are hoping to gather evidence on the reasons people might go missing through private conversations on their helpline. 

According to Romeril, mental health is a very common reason for adults to go missing (the charity understands that 8 in 10 adults who go missing have a mental health issue), but there are a number of other issues which might cause children to go missing.

Romeril said that county lines trafficking, and criminal and sexual exploitation can be fairly common among young people. Difficulties at school, in a care home, or in a family home can also be causes of a child to go missing.

Missing People have also found that families who have gone to their charity for support have felt they’ve been discriminated against by various agencies when reporting their child is missing. “That might be by the police, or it might be by the media,” she said. “They might feel that they’ve been unfairly represented within the media, or that they haven’t received as much coverage in the media as other families have.”

Romeril again said it’s too early in their research to know the scale and impact of racial discrimination, but that they are hoping to better understand it so they can see whether there are any similarities or trends across the country.