ECPAT UK - Campaigning against child sexual exploitation and trafficking.
ECPAT UK is active in research, campaigning and lobbying government to prevent child exploitation and protect children in tourism and child victims of trafficking.
Lord Chief Justice of England & Wales considers issue of non-punishment in trafficking cases
Anti-Slavery International and ECPAT UK are pleased that the Court of Criminal Appeal has today signalled its recognition of the importance of Article 8 of the EU Trafficking Directive (2011/36), which enshrines the right for victims of trafficking to not be prosecuted for their involvement in criminal activities they have been compelled to commit as a direct consequence of being trafficked.
The Court discussed the responsibility of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in ensuring no trafficked child should be brought before a criminal court as a defendant when the crime is a consequence of trafficking. The CPS has indicated that it will revise its guidance to form a tighter safety net for these types of cases for both adults and children in trafficking situations. The Court also recognised the duty for UK law enforcement agencies to investigate the traffickers in these cases.
Weak UK laws put children at risk of sexual abuse, warns ACPO report
The United Kingdom’s law and extra-jurisdictional policing arrangements are putting vulnerable children at high risk of sexual abuse, by their failure either to prevent British sex offenders from travelling or to prosecute them when they commit offences abroad, according to a new report commissioned by the Association of Chief Police Officers released today.
The authors of the report are calling for simplification of the laws on British nationals sexually exploiting vulnerable children, and propose a single ‘Child Sexual Offences Prevention Order’. Unlike the existing range of prevention orders, this single order would simply necessitate evidence rather than, as now, requiring a previous qualifying conviction.
Sex offender ruling must not put children at risk
A decision that may allow child sex offenders to have their names removed from the Sex Offenders’ Register will put children in the UK and overseas at risk, ECPAT UK is warning. Following a ruling in 2012, child sex offenders may request to have their names removed from the register on the grounds that they ‘no longer pose a threat’ to children.
However, ECPAT UK has concerns over the methodology used by police to decide which convicted offenders no longer pose a threat to children, and whether these decisions take into account the risk of offenders going abroad to abuse children, such as in the case of Paul Gadd aka Gary Glitter.
New Working Together guidance will fail trafficked children, ECPAT UK warns
New government guidance on working with children will fail to protect child victims of trafficking and leave them vulnerable to being further exploited and abused, a number of organisations have warned.
In a letter addressed to the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove MP, the children’s charity ECPAT UK, along with the Aire Centre, Anti-Slavery International, the British Association of Social Workers, CARE, the Children’s Rights Alliance England, Eaves, the Helen Bamber Foundation, the National Working Group, Stop the Traffik and several individuals, has expressed serious concerns about the amendments to Working Together to Safeguard Children, which is the core statutory guidance for those who have a responsibility towards children, such as social workers, police, immigration officials and health professionals.
National Training Centre
The ECPAT UK National Training Centre in central London offers a comprehensive training programme that supports and develops good practice in safeguarding children. Training is based on up-to-date research and evidence, such as case law, the experiences of children, government guidance and legislation.
LATEST TRAINING DATES - Safeguarding Children: an Introduction to Child Trafficking, Thursday 6th June 2013 & Thursday 12th September 2013.
Safeguarding Children: an Advanced course on Child Trafficking, Thursday June 13th 2013 & Thursday 24th October 2013.
To register for a course, please complete this booking form and send to training@ecpat.org.uk. Courses take place at the ECPAT UK National Training Centre, see below for map, from 9.30am to 4.30pm.
ECPAT UK Deputy Director takes on cycle challenge
Colin Walker, Deputy Director of ECPAT UK, will join a team of intrepid cyclists from LexisNexis to raise funds for ECPAT UK through a London to Paris cycle challenge. Not content with doing the usual day job, Colin’s commitment to combating child trafficking and exploitation will see him ride almost 300 miles in three days. If you would like to sponsor Colin and the LexisNexis team, please go to Justgiving.com
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Tel +44 (0) 20 7233 9887. Fax: +44 (0) 20 7233 9869. info@ecpat.org.uk
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Latest updates
Anti-Slavery International and ECPAT UK are pleased that the Court of Criminal Appeal has today signalled its recognition of the importance of Article 8 of the EU Trafficking Directive (2011/36), which…
The United Kingdom’s law and extra-jurisdictional policing arrangements are putting vulnerable children at high risk of sexual abuse, by their failure either to prevent British sex offenders from travelling…
A decision that may allow child sex offenders to have their names removed from the Sex Offenders’ Register will put children in the UK and overseas at risk, ECPAT UK is warning. Following a ruling in…
On Friday 19th April, the Lithuanian Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, chaired by Leonard Talmont MP, hosted a meeting of more than 40 parliamentarians, leading NGO experts, law enforcement officers,…
New government guidance on working with children will fail to protect child victims of trafficking and leave them vulnerable to being further exploited and abused, a number of organisations have warned.…
The UK Government will tomorrow miss a major opportunity to crack down on child trafficking and the chance to effectively support the victims of this global trade. ECPAT UK, which campaigns against child…