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

5,145 potential victims of human trafficking were identified in 2017.

National Crime Agency, National Referral Mechanism Statistics: End of Year Summary, 2016

Nearly half (41%) of all potential victims of trafficking (2,118 victims) were children aged 18 and under.

National Crime Agency, National Referral Mechanism Statistics: End of Year Summary, 2017

The United Kingdom is the most prominent country of origin for trafficked children – a total of 677 reported cases – followed by Vietnam (362), Albania (210), Sudan (157), Eritrea (130), Afghanistan (56), Iraq (46), Nigeria (42), Ethiopia (41) and Iran (41).

National Crime Agency, National Referral Mechanism Statistics: End of Year Summary, 2017

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

Latest

Leave a gift in your will

We have a vision of a world in which children everywhere are protected from trafficking and exploitation. Leaving a gift in your will is a wonderful way to help us achieve this vision and support vulnerable children for years to come.
Regular giving

Children and young people who have been trafficked have complex needs and require consistent, long-term support. Help us provide long-term support to young people like Hanh by setting up a monthly gift.
ECPAT UK and more than 40 others appeal to Home Secretary to expand support for children

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.
ECPAT UK welcomes funding for investigating transnational child exploitation

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.

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

This year, 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.
Child trafficking statistics
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.
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.
ECPAT UK training

ECPAT UK offers a comprehensive training programme, in line with National Occupational Standards, delivering courses for more than 20 years to help improve responses to child trafficking, modern slavery and exploitation.