A migrant child goes missing every week in Ireland, according to the Irish Refugee Council
The organisation said about 350 youngsters have vanished from the care of the HSE since arriving in the country over the last six years.
Marking International Missing Children's Day, the organisation called for the Government to put more resources into caring for the vulnerable children who are seeking asylum. It claimed a shortage of social workers and resources is to blame for the children - the majority aged 14 years and over - disappearing.
In Ireland, some 82 children are listed as missing on the Irish Missing Children's website www.missingkids.ie. The majority are young female foreign nationals.
Jyothi Kanics, separated children's officer with the Irish Refugee Council, said vulnerable teenagers fleeing conflict and violence in countries such as Nigeria, Congo, Zimbabwe and Rwanda are coming to Ireland in search of asylum. It is feared they could be forced into prostitution."At the moment, most of the children are in a situation in hostels with up to 30-33 children. Those children have an average of one social worker working with 17 children, where with Irish children in care the ratio is one social worker to five children," she said.
Ms Kanics highlighted a recent case where a 15-year-old from Somalia was found working in a brothel and placed in the care of the HSE.