Supporting young people

ECPAT UK's direct work with young victims of child trafficking provides a space for peer support, skills-building and rights-based education through our youth programme, available through separate youth groups for male and female members, as well as the ethical and meaningful participation of young survivors of trafficking in ECPAT UK's research, campaigns and training work.

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

20th anniversary of the Palermo Protocol

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Palermo Protocol – the world’s first legally binding instrument with an agreed definition on human trafficking. ECPAT UK’s Sinead Geoghegan writes about child trafficking in the UK 20 years on and what we need to do to prevent trafficking and support victims.

Education Secretary acted unlawfully in removing legal protections for children during the pandemic, Court of Appeal rules

The Court of Appeal has ruled that the Secretary of State for Education unlawfully removed safeguards for children in care during the Coronavirus pandemic. Led by the charity Article 39, ECPAT UK and over 60 other child rights organisations publicly campaigned against the changes, introduced overnight under Statutory Instrument 445 without public consultation or parliamentary debate.

UK child sex offender among “most prolific” ever investigated and brought to justice for online abuse

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has successfully brought one of the most prolific child sexual abuse offenders to justice for crimes committed online against children in the UK and abroad, highlighting the central role of evidence from social media companies and joining a growing number of children’s charities, child rights advocates and public officials calling for Facebook to urgently halt plans to implement end-to-end encryption which leaves children at significant risk.

Responses to questions raised at the launch of our joint review of what works in multi-agency safeguarding

Further to the virtual launch of ECPAT UK and the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner's joint review, A review of what works in multi-agency decision making and the implications for child victims of trafficking on the 12th August 2020, we're pleased to provide answers to the questions raised during the event.

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.

The 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.

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).

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

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.

Before the Harm is Done: Examining the UK's response to the prevention of trafficking

The UK Government is failing to protect thousands of children from exploitation by lacking a plan to prevent child trafficking, according to a new report by the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group (ATMG), a coalition of twelve UK-based charities, including ECPAT UK. The report Before the Harm is Done, stresses that the UK has no specific strategy in relation to preventing trafficking in children, putting thousands of children at risk.