BEIJING, April 15 -- British police today appealed for information about three teenage Chinese girls who have been missing for two weeks amid fears that people traffickers could be trying to force them into prostitution.

This police handout photo shows the three missing girls (from left to right) Lin Xiu King, He Yun Jin and Weng Miu Fang. [sina photo]

¡¡Weng Mei Fang, 15, and Lin Xiu Ming and He Yun Jin, both 16, had been living in temporary accommodation in Newcastle after claiming asylum following their arrival in the UK last month.

    They have not been seen since March 30, when they were reported to have left their accommodation at Elswick Lodge, in the west of the city, with a man. Police were said to be investigating whether the girls had been taken to London.

    Northumbria police and the National Missing Persons Helpline (NMPH) believe the girls, thought to be from China's south-western Sichuan province, could be with international gangsters involved in the sex trade. Police have asked anyone with information on their whereabouts to contact 0191 214 6555 (extension 62926).

    Juliet Singer, the head of police liaison at NMPH, said there was "great concern" about the teenagers. "Our fear is that they may not know what is happening to them - they may have no English at all," she said. "They may not even know which country they are in."

    Ms Singer said traffickers had been known to bring girls to the UK and allow them to claim asylum so they could get temporary accommodation and care before taking them away to be used as prostitutes.

    "These girls, not yet adults, could suffer long term, both physically and mentally, from the abuse that may follow their disappearance," she added. "Not only that, they are missing from their families, who may have no idea of their distress or whereabouts."

    Children and young women were often trafficked for the European sex trade after their families had been given a payment and the girls promised good jobs and luxurious accommodation, Ms Singer said. She added that there had also been cases of abduction.

    NMPH recently launched a confidential helpline service on trafficking, available through its existing Runaway Helpline on 0808 800 70 70. Through the helpline, the charity has access to volunteers who between them can speak more than 100 languages.

    In the past, the government has been criticised in the past for being slow to bring in anti-trafficking legislation. However, Ms Singer said there had recently been a "small turn in the tide" and that authorities including the police and social services were becoming more knowledgeable about the issue.

    The first convictions in the UK on trafficking women for prostitution were made in recent months.

    (Courtesy to By Mark Oliver guardian.co.uk)