Missing children: the reality

Petty adds: 'The younger a child is, the more vulnerable they are, and the more easily they can become exploited. The danger is that they fall into that world where people have been on the streets for a while and know the ropes. They can then easily get stuck in the street 'system' where they can become victims of crime, or are forced to commit crime to survive.'

Forced onto the streets
The problems are exacerbated by a lack of safe accommodation for children who run away. Of five hostels set up for minors under the 1989 Children's Act, only one - in London - remains. Nobody under 16 can be admitted to an adult hostel, forcing thousands of vulnerable youngsters onto the streets.

Petty explains: 'We would never encourage adult hostels to take anyone under 16 in any case, because they would be likely to mix with 'hardened' street people.' Anybody harbouring a child under 16 could be prosecuted under the Child Abduction Act.

Around 70 per cent of all child runaways return home of their own accord, but for the rest there can be long, cold nights, fraught with danger. The Social Exclusion Unit says that, physical or sexual assaults aside, almost a quarter of runaways reported being hungry and thirsty, almost a third admitted being frightened and 39 per cent confessed to being lonely.

Tackling the problem
There are some agencies working desperately to tackle the problem. Groups like the Children's Society, NSPCC, Centrepoint and Barnardos run street projects where young runaways can seek help and advice, as well as workers who actively tour the streets looking for possible runaways.