UK: The case of the Missing School Girls...

Dozens missing Arranged marriages believed to be the culprit.

Dozens of children are missing from school amid fears they have been forced into arranged marriages, it was revealed yesterday.

In Bradford, 33 children remain "unaccounted for" after being off school for at least two months with no explanation.

The Government is also concerned about another 14 areas of the country where it is feared children under 16 could also be missing from school rolls.

The figures were disclosed yesterday by Children's Minister Kevin Brennan during evidence to the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, which is investigating the controversial issue of forced marriages.

He revealed the results of worrying inquiries by officials in Bradford, a city with a substantial Asian population. Mr Brennan said Bradford City Council lost track of 205 youngsters last year. Further inquiries had established the whereabouts of 172 - leaving 33 unaccounted for.

"It is a serious concern when any child - any single child - becomes unaccounted for," said Mr Brennan. "And what we need to try to do is seek an explanation of what has happened."

Asked whether the police were looking for them, he added: "They should be."



Committee chairman Keith Vaz, a former Labour minister, said MPs were "very, very concerned".

"The figures you have given us quite frankly have shocked members of this committee just in relation to Bradford," he said.

He added: "There are 14 other areas where there are missing children. This is totally unsatisfactory."

The MPs demanded a report with more details about the "missing" children be ready by next Tuesday.

The national Forced Marriage Unit was set up three years ago to tackle the problem regarded as "an abuse of human rights and a form of domestic violence".

Laws coming into force this summer will allow victims to obtain court injunctions against anyone trying to force them to marry.

A spokesman for the department of children, schools and families said there was no evidence the "missing" children had been forced into marriage but Bradford was an area where "a forced marriage problem has been reported".

"We have asked the local authority to find out more details about these children," she said.

"They might have moved somewhere else or they may have left the country.

"This is a relatively new inquiry and we are trying to get more information."

A spokesman for the local education authority in Bradford played down any fears, saying parents may have simply failed to register their children at another school since moving house.