Published 4 November 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b4572
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b4572

News

Strategy to protect runaway children in England is not working, says charity

Mark Gould

1 London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

A new report detailing the disturbing stories of young people forced to live on the streets concludes that government strategies to protect the estimated 100 000 people aged under 18 who run away in England each year are failing.

The report says that the cumulative cost to society for each young person who does not get help in time is at least £1m ({euro}1.1m; $1.6m), a figure it bases on Home Office crime costings and testimony from interviewees.

In-depth interviews with 103 homeless young people under16 years of age show the extent of sexual and physical violence, drug abuse, and mental trauma, with youths by turns victim and perpetrator.

Over two thirds of the interviewees had been victims of violence; a 10th had been sexually abused at home; some had used ecstasy, cannabis, and cocaine since the age of 9 and heroin from age 12; and over two thirds . . . [Full text of this article]


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