FAQs on child trafficking

Child trafficking is a complex phenomenon. Here are answers to ten of the most commonly asked questions in our daily interactions with child protection professionals.

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Latest

ECPAT UK welcomes the ratification of the Lanzarote Convention

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.
Child trafficking in the UK 2018: A snapshot

ECPAT UK's new snapshot report provides an overview of the state of modern slavery affecting children in the UK, drawing on our experience of working with young people who have been exploited, and compiling the latest statistics and recent policy developments on this important issue.
How to protect children in criminal exploitation - watch our latest videos

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.
Child victims of modern slavery also suffer under the UK’s hostile immigration regime

Following the recent Windrush scandal, ECPAT UK’s Policy and Campaigns Officer, Catherine Baker, blogs about the impact of the UK's hostile immigration environment on child victims of trafficking and children at risk of exploitation.

Child trafficking in the UK 2018: A snapshot

ECPAT UK's new snapshot report provides an overview of the state of modern slavery affecting children in the UK, drawing on our experience of working with young people who have been exploited, and compiling the latest statistics and recent policy developments on this important issue.
Time to transform: Frontline professionals' views on the National Referral Mechanism

Time to transform shows the results of ECPAT UK's survey into frontline professionals’ attitudes towards the National Referral Mechanism, specifically in regard to children’s cases.
Lighting the way

The second report for the ReACT project provides guidance for professionals on how to improve the identification and protection of children who may have been trafficked.
Better support, better protection: Steps lawyers and guardians can take to better identify and protect trafficked children

This report for the ReACT project provides a snapshot of the manner in which children who may have been trafficked into and within five EU states were or were not identified and protected in and up to 2016.
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.
Class Acts? Examining modern slavery legislation across the UK

Has new anti-slavery legislation across the UK increased prosecution of traffickers, prevented further trafficking and enhanced the protection of victims?
Time to deliver

Victims of trafficking who are pregnant or have children are ‘systematically overlooked’ in the UK’s anti-trafficking response, according to a new report by the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group (ATMG), a coalition of twelve UK-based charities, including ECPAT UK.
Evaluation of Independent Child Trafficking Advocates trial: Final Report

This report presents findings from an evaluation of a one-year trial of the Independent Child Trafficking Advocates (ICTA) service that took place across 23 local authority areas in England. The trial was part of the Government’s commitment to section 48 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which sets out provisions for the ICTA service.
UK implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

UK Government policies and spending decisions are failing to prioritise children, including child victims of trafficking, according to new research by the Children's Rights Alliance for England (CRAE), which ECPAT UK is a member.
Trafficking for Forced Criminal Activities and Begging in Europe

The UK and neighbouring European states fail to protect thousands of adults and children trafficked and forced into crime, according to a new study by the RACE in Europe Project.

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.
Current campaign: Demand specialist support for trafficked children

We are working with Care2 to call on the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd MP, to overhaul the current system of identification/support for victims of trafficking – the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).
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.
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.
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.
Stephen's case exposes failings in child trafficking support

‘Stephen’ was identified as a former child victim of trafficking but now faces the threat of removal to Vietnam. His case has rightly received significant public attention, highlighting the urgent need to reform the support system (the National Referral Mechanism) for other children who have been victims of modern slavery in the UK.
Contact us

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. For all other enquiries related to our work, contact [email protected] or call 020 7607 2136.
About us

ECPAT UK is a leading children's rights organisation working to protect children from child trafficking and transnational child exploitation. We support children everywhere to uphold their rights and to live a life free from abuse and exploitation.