15,000 children thrown out by parents.

MORE THAN 15,000 children under 16 in the UK are thrown out of home each year by parents who hit, neglect and reject them, according to new research out today.

The study found that, of these, one in five is physically or sexually assaulted while away from home, 17 per cent by the adults they turn to for help.

Few are ever reported missing to the police by their parents so their plight often goes unnoticed, The Children's Society, which published the findings, said.

The research, part of the charity's Safe And Sound campaign calling on the government to make England a safer place for young runaways, revealed three main reasons children are thrown out.

Some 23 per cent blamed their plight on family breakdown, saying they did not get on with their parents.

Violence accounted for more than one in 10 cases. Another 12 per cent said they felt their parents did not care for them.

The charity said that, because children under 16 have almost no direct access to emergency accommodation, many stay with other members of their family or friends, and about 18 per cent sleep rough.

More than 3,000 (21 per cent) say they have been physically or sexually assaulted by strangers on the streets, or by friends and relatives who offer them a place to stay.

Some are forced to beg, steal or deal drugs or become involved in prostitution to survive because they are wary of approaching social services, the police and other agencies to seek help.