Make a lasting difference with a regular gift

ECPAT UK's youth group has made such a big difference to my life and my future. At the group, they help me deal with all the difficulties I have. ECPAT UK even found me a therapist to talk through my struggles. I'm so grateful to be able to develop my skills, confidence and independence through the weekly sessions. Without ECPAT UK, I would not be who I am today.

Hanh*, 15 years old

Hanh was trafficked from Vietnam to the UK where she was forced into sexual exploitation. When she escaped and found a police station, she thought her ordeal was over. But it was the beginning of a new struggle - telling her story to police officers, social workers and foster carers, being disbelieved and unable to access basic counselling.

Hanh was traumatised, but with the support of ECPAT UK's youth programme, she is now recovering from her experiences and rebuilding her life.

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

Your regular gift would mean we could continue to support many others like Hanh until they are in a position to access their rights, recover from their experiences and move on with their lives.

Set up a regular gift today

Thank you for standing with trafficked children and young people.

Latest

Hopeful futures photography competition: win an Instax camera!

As part of our 'stable futures' campaign, we’re calling for original photos that capture your vision of a stable, happy and hopeful future. The brief is broad – we want you to reflect on the question ‘what does freedom mean to you?’ Your photos can depict anything that represents your dreams, future potential and life without limits. The winning photo will inspire feelings of warmth, togetherness, hope and fulfilment.
Have your say: impact of new immigration plan on trafficked children

The government’s New Plan for Immigration includes proposals which will impact all child victims of trafficking as well as all children and young people subject to immigration control. We're concerned about a range of measures proposed which, taken together, will affect all child victims of trafficking, including British national children. Have your say — respond to the government's public consultation using our guide.
Take part in 5k May!

This month we're taking part in #5kMay! If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that the smallest things can make the biggest impact. That’s why we’re calling on you to take part in a 5k during May and donate £5 to us! We're a small charity achieving big things, and every £1 raised makes a difference.
Government immigration reforms could set back progress in support for child victims of trafficking

The Home Office has published their ‘New Plan for Immigration’ which includes a significant number of proposals to reform modern slavery legislation which will affect survivors of child exploitation. Wider measures relating to asylum policy will also be detrimental to survivors who also apply for asylum, a procedure which is already very challenging for many child victims to navigate.

Hopeful futures photography competition: win an Instax camera!

As part of our 'stable futures' campaign, we’re calling for original photos that capture your vision of a stable, happy and hopeful future. The brief is broad – we want you to reflect on the question ‘what does freedom mean to you?’ Your photos can depict anything that represents your dreams, future potential and life without limits. The winning photo will inspire feelings of warmth, togetherness, hope and fulfilment.
Take part in 5k May!

This month we're taking part in #5kMay! If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that the smallest things can make the biggest impact. That’s why we’re calling on you to take part in a 5k during May and donate £5 to us! We're a small charity achieving big things, and every £1 raised makes a difference.
Solihull lawyer Maria Demosthenous named Children's Champion 2020

Maria Demosthenous, a senior child care solicitor with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, has been awarded ECPAT UK’s Children’s Champion Award for 2020. The award is made in recognition of Maria’s outstanding commitment to child victims of trafficking in her local authority over the last 13 years.
New resources: Migration, trafficking and your rights in the UK criminal justice system

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.
Statement in response to the Home Office's announcement regarding the Modern Slavery Act

ECPAT UK is alarmed at today’s news from the Home Office claiming there is widescale abuse of the National Referral Mechanism and announcing an overhaul of the Modern Slavery Act alongside the announcement of immigration reforms. While we are waiting to see details of the proposals this week and what it may mean for survivors of child trafficking and exploitation, we are very concerned about inaccuracies in the reporting of today’s statement.
In 2020, more children than ever identified as potential victims of trafficking

The Home Office has today released official statistics showing more children than ever before were identified as potential victims of trafficking in 2020. ECPAT UK is concerned that more children than ever need specialist support while resourcing for this support continues to fall, responses to child victims are inconsistent across the country and children face unnecessary delays to decisions about their cases.
We must listen to children if we are to protect them from exploitation

On National Child Exploitation Awareness Day 2021, ECPAT UK's CEO Patricia Durr blogs about the need to ensure children's voices are heard and their rights are respected if we are to protect them from exploitation and harm.
Landmark victory at the European Court of Human Rights for survivors of child trafficking

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that the UK Government failed to protect victims of child trafficking and breached two articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, in a landmark case. The Court ordered the UK Government to pay €90,000 EUR (£78,590 GBP) in compensation to two Vietnamese young people involved who had been convicted of crimes as children despite signs they had been trafficked.
New government strategy to tackle child sexual abuse includes welcome plan to protect children abroad

The government has released its new strategy to tackle child sexual abuse. We welcome the government’s commitment to making sure all children, within and outside of the UK, are protected from sexual abuse and exploitation by UK nationals.
Government publishes its response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation

The government has today published its response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation which is expected to be followed by an Online Harms Bill in early 2020. ECPAT UK welcomes this landmark proposal to keep children safe online. ECPAT UK welcomes the cross-party commitment to regulation of tech companies, recognition that this is a global problem requiring close collaboration with international partners and the proposed legal duty of care on tech companies to keep users safe.

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

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.
Child trafficking statistics

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