Following the government’s response to recommendations made by the Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act, ECPAT UK welcomes the implementation of a number of its recommendations to improve support for children. However there has been a missed opportunity for meaningful change that would ensure all potential victims are protected, by bringing the Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship service in line with guardianship in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Read more
An independent review of the Modern Slavery Act has made important calls for changes to the legislation. However despite calls from leading charities including ECPAT UK and thousands of supporters to ensure all trafficked and unaccompanied children are protected, the review failed to include supporting unaccompanied children in the scope of its recommendations. Read more
As part of our Partnership Against Child Trafficking (PACT) project, ECPAT UK has produced a guide to assist local authorities to create or update their child trafficking and modern slavery policy. Read more
ECPAT UK has updated its flagship FAQs on child trafficking publication five years after its launch. The publication has become an essential resource for practitioners, campaigners, policy makers and the general public to inform themselves about child trafficking and children’s rights, and ensure the needs of trafficked children are considered at every level of UK society. Read more
Every Child Protected Against Trafficking (ECPAT UK), The Children’s Society and 43 other organisations have today written a letter to Sajid Javid, urging him to provide independent guardians to all separated, unaccompanied and trafficked children in the UK. Read more
Following the landmark Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) investigation in which ECPAT UK played a central role as core participant, the Department for International Development (DFID) has committed to funding activities to ensure children abroad are protected from British sex offenders. Read more
ECPAT UK has named Katherine Mulhern as its new Chief Executive Officer. Katherine, who has been Chair of ECPAT UK’s board of trustees for the last two years, has stepped down as Chair and is replaced as Chair by current trustee Ian Hanham. Read more
After six years, Bharti Patel has announced she is stepping down as CEO of ECPAT UK. Read more
Thousands of children trafficked from Vietnam to the UK are suffering horrendous exploitation and abuse in transit through Europe as different governments pass the buck on protecting them, according to new research by Anti-Slavery International, ECPAT UK and Pacific Links Foundation. Read more
ECPAT UK provided crucial evidence in a landmark Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) investigation which made public evidence about the failures of the UK’s institutions, policies and practices to protect children abroad from sexual abuse by its citizens. Read more
There was a dramatic increase in the number of potential child victims of trafficking identified in the UK last year, raising concerns about UK authorities’ ability to respond to rising numbers of victims in light of potential reductions in support. Read more
On Monday, 11th February, ECPAT UK to give expert evidence before the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) on the protection of children abroad from sexual exploitation by those with links to England and Wales Read more
ECPAT UK has today announced solicitor Silvia Nicolaou Garcia as the recipient of the 2018 Children’s Champion award. Read more
Two leading UK charities, ECPAT UK and Missing People, have released a new report warning that trafficked and unaccompanied children are 30 times more likely to go missing than other children their age. Additionally, in 2017, trafficked and unaccompanied children went missing from care on average 7 times, highlighting grave safeguarding failures on the part of local authorities. Read more
More than 30 child rights NGOs, including ECPAT UK, ECPAT International and eight ECPAT member groups have written to EU President Junckers expressing concern over the wording of the draft Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications (e-Privacy Regulation), currently under consideration in Brussels. The NGOs are concerned the new regulation could hamper efforts to track online child sex offenders and identify victims. Read more
ECPAT UK is once again partnering with the Refugee Council to deliver training to over 1,000 foster carers and support workers in accommodation placements in England. The 'caring for separated and trafficked children' training programme will equip those with caring duties for unaccompanied and trafficked children with the knowledge and tools to effectively protect these vulnerable children. Read more
Young victims of trafficking marked Anti-Slavery Day 2018 by delivering a 120,535 strong petition to the UK Government demanding guaranteed specialist support for trafficked children. Read more
On Wednesday, 17th October 2018, ECPAT UK will join partners from across Europe to participate in a ‘day of action’ for unaccompanied and separated children, as part of the cross-border Safeguarding Migrant Children Across Europe (AMINA) project. Read more
Thousands of children put at risk of trafficking by the UK Government’s lack of plan to prevent it, says new report by the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group - a group of organisations including ECPAT UK. Read more
Sexual exploitation and abuse in the aid sector has been an ‘open secret’ among humanitarian organisations, with individuals who report abuse continually ‘silenced and ostracised’, according to a new report by the International Development Committee which drew on evidence submitted by ECPAT UK. Read more
ECPAT UK has been granted core participant status in the Protection of Children Outside the United Kingdom investigation held by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). Read more
Our latest research, Child trafficking in the UK 2018: A snapshot, exposes the limitations of the government’s response to child victims of trafficking and highlights the need for a new, child-centred approach. Read more
ECPAT UK heralds the UK government’s long-awaited ratification of the Lanzarote Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse in the UK and abroad. Read more
A new e-handbook on modern slavery, human trafficking and forced labour features ECPAT UK and more than 50 other experts from across the Commonwealth. The handbook was produced by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association as a comprehensive guide for legislating against crimes related to modern slavery. Read more
Following recent reports on the rise of children exploited for criminality, ECPAT UK’s Head of Training Laura Durán, was recently interviewed by Lynda Gibbs from the Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA) to discuss the complex nature of criminal exploitation and ECPAT UK's work campaigning against child trafficking. Read more
ECPAT UK (Every Child Protected Against Trafficking) is thrilled that its animated short film about child trafficking in cannabis cultivation – The Secret Gardeners, has won the gold medal in the Human Concerns category at the New York Festivals World’s Best TV and Films awards. Read more