Charities working to oppose modern slavery are deeply concerned by reports of missing migrant children, and calls to amend trafficking laws.

This week, the Observer reported that dozens of under-18s have “vanished” from a Sussex hotel that houses asylum-seekers after being “literally picked up” by traffickers.

More than half the 136 children who went missing from the hotel over the past 18 months remain unaccounted for, according to an investigation by the newspaper.

Rebecca Stevenson, a trafficking policy expert at the charity CARE, which campaigns for better legal protections for trafficking victims, said:

“These reports are alarming. The Home Office has a duty of care that they are failing to fulfill in the case of these especially vulnerable children.

“The risks posed by traffickers cannot be overstated. Children could end up in criminal exploitation, selling drugs, or be forced into sexual exploitation.”

Ms Stevenson also expressed concern about calls, by senior government figures, to amend modern slavery victim protections. She added:

“Calls for existing modern slavery protections in the UK to be amended or withdrawn are a real concern to the human trafficking sector.

“Legislators need to do more to help modern slavery victims of all ages and backgrounds, especially as the cost-of-living crisis increases the risk of exploitation.

“It is imperative that the government does not roll back the positive progress already made in our society whilst it focuses on immigration.”