2025/09/11 by McKinney, Stephen, Farrar, Jennifer
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Migration, Health and Trauma #Sex work and related issues #Migration, Refugees, and Integration
paper · doi:10.6092/issn.2420-8175/22854
Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking children in England and the UK are known as UASC and are children who have fled from unstable and dangerous environments. They have endured perilous journeys to the UK, and a high number of these children suffer from physical and mental health issues. They face many barriers to settlement and integration into society in the UK. This article is contextualised within the framework of the rights of the child and the rights of the unaccompanied child and explores a number of key themes: the reasons why children flee and the journey to the UK, arrival procedures, initial assessment and health checks, education of the unaccompanied children, the importance of religion and religious identity and unaccompanied children who become missing children. This last theme is a matter of great concern as these children are very vulnerable and are often victims of exploitation, re-trafficking and child slavery.