Absconding 'puts children at risk of abuse'

CHILDREN who regularly abscond are in danger of being sexually exploited. Barnardo's Scotland said vulnerable youngsters who disappear for days from their parents' or carers' home are being preyed upon and abused. It cited the case of a 14-year-old girl and her friends who were plied with alcohol and drugs and exploited by a group of men in their 30s.

But as some children regularly go missing, paperwork is completed and the police are informed but the criminal activity is never uncovered, the charity said.

Barnado's Scotland director, Martin Crewe, said: "Identifying those at risk is half of the battle, we need to get to these vulnerable children first."