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

Nationality and Borders Bill: House of Lords Second Reading Briefing

The Nationality and Borders Bill has its Second Reading in the House of Lords on 5th January 2022. The Bill includes far reaching reforms to modern slavery legislation; extensively changing the system for identifying, protecting and supporting victims of trafficking. This briefing sets out our concerns about the impact on children and young people and the lack of consideration of their needs and rights.
Child trafficking in the UK 2021: a snapshot

Our latest snapshot report on child trafficking has been produced jointly with the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Dame Sara Thornton. Child trafficking remains a significant and growing problem in the UK and the report provides an overview including the latest data, policy developments, examples of promising practice and challenges faced by practitioners. It concludes with a series of 10 recommendations.
IASC and ECPAT UK report on child trafficking in the UK in 2021

The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and ECPAT UK have today launched Child trafficking in the UK: a snapshot. The report provides an outline of child trafficking between October 2020 and October 2021, including the latest data, policy developments, examples of promising practice and challenges faced by practitioners. It concludes with a series of 10 recommendations aimed at a range of stakeholders.
Global Call for Evidence

This Global Call for Evidence is part of our study being conducted jointly with the University of Bedfordshire funded through the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (Modern Slavery PEC). The study seeks to identify ways to improve outcomes for young people who have experienced human trafficking and/or modern slavery.

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.
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.
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
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.
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.
What is child trafficking?
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.