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

Latest

SPACE TO THRIVE: we need more support for child victims of trafficking and exploitation to recover from trauma and abuse

Last week was Mental Health Awareness Week 2022. Here, ECPAT UK reflects on the impact that trafficking and exploitation can have on the mental health of children and young people, and outlines how we can better support child victims to recover from trauma and abuse.
Queen's speech announces significant reforms affecting children's rights

The Queen’s Speech 2022 confirmed that in the new parliamentary session, there will be significant reform affecting the rights of children and young people. On the heels of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, the government has announced more modern slavery legislation. It has affirmed too that the Online Safety Bill is carried over from the last parliamentary session. Also announced was a new Bill of Rights.
ECPAT UK welcomes the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s annual report as Dame Sara Thornton stands down from the role

Last week, Dame Sara Thornton’s third and final annual report as the UK’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner was laid before parliament. ECPAT UK welcomes the report and thanks the Commissioner and her office for all their work over the past three years, especially the focus on child victims and their rights to protection and care.
Harmful Nationality and Borders Act passes - April 29th 2022

Following a hard-fought battle to increase rights and protections in the legislation, the Nationality and Borders Act received Royal Assent this week. The Act will have a devastating impact for all trafficked children, and for migrant children who are at high risk of exploitation.

Child trafficking statistics

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

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

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).
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

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.
Heading back to harm: A study on trafficked and unaccompanied children going missing from care in the UK

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.