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  • Child trafficking statistics
  1. The issues
  2. Child trafficking, exploitation and modern slavery

Child trafficking statistics

Global trafficking statistics

Worldwide, 40.3 million men, women and children were victims of modern slavery on any day in 2016.

Walk Free Foundation, Global Slavery Index, 2018

1 in 4 victims of modern slavery in 2016 were children — a total of 10.1 million child victims.

International Labour Organisation, Walk Free Foundation and International Organisation for Migration, Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage, 2017

UK trafficking statistics

10,613 potential victims of human trafficking were identified in 2020 — consistent with the number identified in 2019 (10,616).* 

Home Office, National Referral Mechanism Statistics: UK, End of Year Summary, 2020

*This is likely due to the impact of the pandemic on victim identification. While the number of potential adult victims decreased in 2020, the number of potential child victims increased.

Nearly half (47%) of all potential victims of trafficking  - 4,946 victims - were exploited as children; a nearly 10% increase on the previous year.

Home Office, National Referral Mechanism Statistics: UK, End of Year Summary, 2020

The United Kingdom is the most prominent country of origin for trafficked children – a total of 2,874 reported cases – followed by Vietnam (246 children), Sudan (163 children), Albania (160 children), Romania (138 children) and Eritrea (132 children). Children from Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria and Iran also made up significant numbers of those identified.

Home Office, National Referral Mechanism Statistics: UK, End of Year Summary, 2020

A quarter of all trafficked children go missing from local authority care. 

ECPAT UK and Missing People, Still in Harm's Way: An update report on trafficked and unaccompanied children going missing from care in the UK, 2018

Each missing child has on average 7.2 missing incidents in a single year.

ECPAT UK and Missing People, Still in Harm's Way: An update report on trafficked and unaccompanied children going missing from care in the UK, 2018

Published: 28th April, 2017

Updated: 23rd April, 2021

Author: Ryan Mahan

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Latest

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  • Child trafficking statistics

    Child trafficking statistics

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

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    The Secret Gardeners: New film on child trafficking from Vietnam

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  • National Referral Mechanism

    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.

  • Volunteer

    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.

  • What is child trafficking?

  • Urgent action needed: Independent guardianship for all trafficked, unaccompanied and separated children

    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

    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).

  • Our team

    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.

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

    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.

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    Trafficked and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are going missing from UK care at an “alarmingly high” rate, according to a new study by leading charities ECPAT UK and Missing People.

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Report immediate concerns about a child's welfare

If you have an immediate concern about a child's welfare, please contact your local council's social care department, who are available 24 hours a day. You can find their contact details on the Directgov website or in the phone book.

You can also contact the Modern Slavery Helpline on 0800 0121 700 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

If your concern is urgent, please call the police in your area or 999.

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