Monday, 22^nd March 2021

ECPAT UK has today released new resources informing Vietnamese migrants in the UK about their rights in the UK criminal justice system.

Produced in partnership with World Vision Vietnam (WVV) for its Home Office-funded Tackling Modern Slavery project, the resources comprise a child friendly film and digital information resource, and a film and information resource for adults.

WVV’s Tackling Modern Slavery project aims to combat trafficking from Vietnam to the UK. As part of this project, WVV commissioned ECPAT UK to research and produce information resources for Vietnamese people in migration about trafficking, exploitation, their rights, the systems and processes they may go through in the UK and where to find support.

As part of our research, ECPAT UK consulted Vietnamese members of our youth groups for victims of child trafficking as well as a steering group made up of experts. We researched the information already available and found a gap in accessible information on migrants’ rights and what to expect in the criminal justice system.

As a result, we produced a video aimed at children and another aimed at adults, in order to be accessible to a wide range of people and accommodate differences in responses to children and adults. We also produced longer, downloadable information booklets for children and adults, containing more information and signposting to relevant organisations for further support. These are available at the website address at the end of each film, or on our project webpages.

The resources were launched today at an event hosted by ECPAT UK’s CEO Patricia Durr, with an expert panel of speakers Patricia Hynes, reader in forced migration at the University of Bedfordshire, and Dr Chung Pham of Locate International, who spoke about the risks and vulnerabilities to criminal exploitation and best practice in responding to migrants at risk. You can view the event recording here.

Patricia Durr, CEO of ECPAT UK, said

“All victims of trafficking have the right to be supported and protected by UK authorities, and those who are criminally exploited should be treated as victims not offenders. Sadly, we know that many still enter the criminal justice system and often do not access the support they are entitled to. This is incredibly harmful for those who have already experienced the trauma of exploitation – especially children who are additionally vulnerable due to their age.

“We hope these videos and accompanying digital information resources will raise awareness among Vietnamese migrants in the UK that they have rights in this country and if they are exploited, there are organisations and agencies that can support them.”

ECPAT UK’s training and practice lead Phil Spencer will follow the event with a practitioner learning event on the 23rd March, which will cover the implications of the resources for frontline practice. Sign up for a free ticket here.

Phil Spencer, Training and Practice Lead at ECPAT UK, said

“When delivering training to social workers, foster carers and other professionals who work with Vietnamese victims of trafficking, one of the key challenges practitioners tell me they face is communication; and by producing resources such as these, ECPAT UK hopes we will help frontline professionals communicate essential information about trafficking, exploitation, rights and restrictions to those they work with.”

Resources

Access all of the videos here, in English and Vietnamese

Access the child videos and child digital information resource here

Access the adult videos and adult digital information resource here

You can also watch the films on our YouTube channel

ENDS 

Press contact

Sinead Geoghegan, Communications and Media Manager, ECPAT UK, [email protected] 07402 113 985