In 2004, ECPAT UK produced groundbreaking research on the trafficking of children into the UK. An on-going program of research, training and advocacy informs our campaigning efforts. ECPAT UK has been instrumental in raising awareness in government of the plight of children trafficked into the UK for both sexual exploitation and for exploitative labour. There are still many gaps in policy and practice that need urgent attention.

Facts 2.45 million people are victims of trafficking annually, of which 50 % are children (ILO, 2005). Trafficking is worth an estimated US$ 32 billion each year (ILO, 2005). ECPAT UK found a total of 35 child trafficking cases in 17 London boroughs in 2003. In addition, 32 out of 33 London boroughs expressed concerns about trafficked children in their care (ECPAT UK, 2004). In 2001, West Sussex Social Services reported that 66 children had gone missing from its care since 1995. Evidence suggests they were further trafficked by the people who initially brought them into the country (ECPAT UK, 2004). UNICEF reported there were 250 child trafficking cases in the UK between 1998 and 2003 (UNICEF UK, 2003).

Trafficking Children into the UK

Trafficking in persons - the recruitment, transport, or sale of human beings into sexual exploitation, forced labour and servitude - is a human rights abuse and an issue of global concern. A myriad of complex factors make children particularly vulnerable to trafficking, and these include violent and dysfunctional families, poverty, gender inequality, demand for cheap labour, growth of technology and exploitation of children in tourism, political and economic instability in countries of origin and the promise of a better future abroad.

Although there is no consistent pattern on the routes or the nationalities involved, ECPAT UK's research shows that children, mostly girls, are being trafficked into the UK from Africa, Eastern Europe and South East Asia for purposes of domestic servitude, sexual exploitation and involvement in illegal activities. Once trafficked, these children are often controlled through violence, being deprived of their freedom of movement, having to repay heavy debts to their traffickers and a deep-seated fear of authority instilled by their traffickers. These factors and the trauma of being trafficked make it difficult for children to escape, seek help or to feel sake enough to talk about their experiences.

ECPAT UK is campaigning against this modern day form of slavery and is calling on all relevant agencies to coordinate action on child protection and the prevention of trafficking, and not just focus on law enforcement measures. ECPAT UK is also calling on the UK Government to monitor and document trafficking cases and establish effective support and protection services for trafficked children.

Read the full list of ECPAT UK’s recommendations in:

ECPAT UK’s submission to the Home Office Consultation on Planning Better Outcomes and Support for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children

ECPAT UK’s submission to the Joint Committee on Human Rights.

ECPAT UK’s submission to the Consultation on Proposals for a UK Trafficking Action Plan.

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