Hundreds of victims of human trafficking in the UK have gone missing despite being referred to a government scheme to protect them, The Guardian reports.

Data from the Home Office obtained by the newspaper shows 566 potential or confirmed victims of trafficking were noted as "missing" between 2020 and 2022.

The individuals involved - from the UK and elsewhere - had previously been referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), which is supposed to guarantee support.

Anti-trafficking organisations have voiced concern and urged the Home Office to launch an urgent investigation into the hundreds of missing people cases.

Maya Esslemont, the director of After Exploitation, said:

“It is incredibly worrying that such significant numbers of victims are slipping through systems of support,” she said. “This data shows a real risk of retrafficking in the UK, even amongst people who report modern slavery and make steps towards recovery.

“The role of control in modern slavery cannot be overstated, and many victims will fear repercussions from their traffickers for many months or years after exploitation as they are afraid of harm to themselves or loved ones if they do not remain in contact with their traffickers.

“The government must urgently investigate these cases in order to understand what factors left survivors vulnerable to falling out of the process. It is vital that the NRM itself is fully funded and that every single survivor who needs safe housing, psychological and financial support to avoid retrafficking is able to access it.”

CARE has previously raised concerns about reports of migrant children going missing after being picked up from state accommodation in the south of England.

Rebecca Stevenson, a trafficking policy expert at CARE, 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.”