Supporting young people

ECPAT UK's direct work with young victims is rights based, trauma informed and child and young person centred.

Through our Youth Programme, ECPAT UK provides tailored and gender specific support for young people to enable them to learn valuable life skills, access peer support, ease their trauma, understand their rights, and have their voices heard in environments that promote Safety, Collaboration, Empowerment, Trust and Choice. Through all of our work we promote the ethical and meaningful participation of young people in ECPAT UK's including our research, policy and campaigns, training and organisational development.

Find out more about our Youth Programme here and below

Care For Every Child

Learn about our new #CareForEveryChild project offering support to children who have spent time in UK Home Office hotels outside of the care that they were entitled to and at risk. Read more

Youth advisory group

ECPAT UK’s youth advisory group is made up of former members of our youth programme for victims of child trafficking, as well as current long-term members who are interested in steering the organisation’s campaigns and strategy. Read more

Trafficked girls and young women's group

The award-winning ECPAT UK Trafficked girls and young women's group was the first-ever peer support group for trafficked young people in the UK. It provides a safe space where young people who have been through emotional trauma can socialise and get involved in projects, such as drama and arts, as a way for them to recover from their experiences. Read more

Trafficked boys and young men's group

ECPAT UK runs a project supporting boys and young men who have been trafficked to the UK. The project draws on the successful model of peer support for trafficked girls and young women pioneered by ECPAT UK. Read more

Latest

Judge rules that the Home Secretary acted irrationally in the case brought by Kent County Council on the operation of the National Transfer Scheme

High Court rules that the Home Secretary acted irrationally in its operation of the National Transfer Scheme in a further judgement about the accommodation of unaccompanied children in Home Office hotels.
ECPAT UK BIG GIVE CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE 2023

We are delighted to be taking part once again in the Big Give Christmas Challenge Week matched funding campaign. From 28th November to 5th December 2023 all donations are DOUBLED in support of our direct work with child victims of trafficking
Care For Every Child

Learn about our new #CareForEveryChild project offering support to children who have spent time in UK Home Office hotels outside of the care that they were entitled to and at risk.
King’s Speech announces new laws to tackle online child exploitation whilst reconfirming the UK government’s desire to remove the rights of child victims

The King’s Speech, which was held on 7th November 2023, announces new laws to tackle online child exploitation whilst reconfirming the UK government’s desire to remove the rights of child victims.

Child trafficking statistics

The latest data on the number of victims of trafficking in the UK and worldwide.
National Referral Mechanism

The National Referral Mechanism is a process set up by the Government to identify and support victims of trafficking in the UK. It was born out of the Government's obligation to identify victims under the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Human Trafficking, which came into force on 1 February 2008.
What is child trafficking?
The Secret Gardeners: New film on child trafficking from Vietnam

The Secret Gardeners aims to inform professionals about the plight of children who are forced by organised crime gangs to grow drugs in houses across the UK but who often face criminalisation and prison.
Volunteer

ECPAT UK relies on committed volunteers to support the work that we do. Without their help, we would not be able to campaign as effectively against child exploitation.
Our team

ECPAT UK's team has more than 30 years' experience working on issues of child trafficking, child protection, child sexual exploitation, unaccompanied children, modern slavery and more.
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is an international human rights treaty that grants all children and young people (aged 17 and under) a comprehensive set of rights. The UK signed the Convention on 19 April 1990, ratified it on 16 December 1991 and it came into force on 15 January 1992.
About us

ECPAT UK is a leading children's rights organisation working to protect children from child trafficking and transnational child exploitation. We support children everywhere to uphold their rights and to live a life free from abuse and exploitation.
Urgent action needed: Independent guardianship for all trafficked, unaccompanied and separated children

Last October, an incredible 120,535 supporters called for specialist support for all trafficked children. However, the fight is not finished. Make sure your voice is heard by contacting the Home Secretary asking him to provide guardianship for all trafficked, separated and unaccompanied children
Demand specialist support for trafficked children

In 2018 we worked with Care2 to call on the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid MP, to overhaul the current system of identification and support for victims of trafficking – the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).