Uk sees record 54 deaths of asylum seeker children in care, mostly by suicide

A staggering 54 young asylum seekers have died in the UK in the past decade, with the majority ending their lives through suicide, according to the first ever compiled data. The grim figures show a nation in crisis, failing to protect some of its most vulnerable citizens.

Shockingly, 31 of these tragic deaths were suicides, followed by 7 homicides, 8 fatal accidents and only 6 due to health issues. the full picture is even more disturbing, with 44 of the 54 fatalities occurring since 2020.

The data was collected by the Da'aro Youth Project, which supports young asylum seekers. The charity's co-founder Benny Hunter notes the shocking numbers, with 2024 being the highest single year for deaths, with 7 suicides and 7 other fatalities.

When broken down by age, the devastating impact is laid bare. Six suicides involved children aged 17 or under, 16 were of young people aged 18-20 and 9 were of 20- to 24-year-olds. The majority of deaths occurred in the past 5 years, with a particularly harrowing period between November 2017 and February 2019 seeing 4 suicides of Eritrean teenagers who knew each other.

The report has been sent to various ministers, including the education secretary and immigration minister, with a letter expressing deep concern over the government's lack of transparency on these deaths. The Da'aro Youth Project is calling for the data to be published, for a national review of the fatalities to be undertaken and for a new safeguarding strategy to be implemented for this group of vulnerable young people.