Supporting young people

ECPAT UK's direct work with young victims of child trafficking provides a space for peer support, skills-building and rights-based education through our youth programme, available through separate youth groups for male and female members, as well as the ethical and meaningful participation of young survivors of trafficking in ECPAT UK's research, campaigns and training work.

Youth advisory group

ECPAT UK’s youth advisory group is made up of former members of our youth programme for victims of child trafficking, as well as current long-term members who are interested in steering the organisation’s campaigns and strategy. Read more

Trafficked girls and young women's group

The award-winning ECPAT UK Trafficked girls and young women's group was the first-ever peer support group for trafficked young people in the UK. It provides a safe space where young people who have been through emotional trauma can socialise and get involved in projects, such as drama and arts, as a way for them to recover from their experiences. Read more

Trafficked boys and young men's group

ECPAT UK runs a project supporting boys and young men who have been trafficked to the UK. The project draws on the successful model of peer support for trafficked girls and young women pioneered by ECPAT UK. Read more

Latest

Free webinar: the importance of trust when working with child victims of trafficking

Join us for the latest in our short practice webinar series focused on working with child victims of trafficking. This webinar looks at the importance of trust.
Youth group summer programme – a success!

Our youth group members enjoyed meeting up for our summer programme of picnics and games and fun activities including a day trip to Thorpe Park, packed with thrilling rides, competitive bumper car racing, and a lot of group bonding.
Nationality and Borders Bill: Second Reading Briefing

The government's Nationality and Borders Bill includes measures that will impact all child victims of trafficking in the UK as well as all children and young people subject to immigration control. The bill reforms modern slavery legislation; extensively changing the system for identifying, protecting and supporting victims of trafficking. In this briefing, we analyse measures in the bill and set out our concerns about how they will affect all at risk children and child victims of trafficking.
Statement on the Nationality and Borders Bill

The government’s new nationality and borders bill will significantly impact children’s rights to protection and leave them at risk of dangerous journeys, trafficking and criminalisation. The legislation does not just contain measures on immigration which fail to protect those in need of safety but also makes extensive changes to the identification, protection and support of victims of trafficking and modern slavery, which is not an immigration matter.

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.
Child trafficking statistics

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

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
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.
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.
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.
What is child trafficking?
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.