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.

ECPAT UK Head of Youth, Debbie Beadle, said: "Some are very nervous when they first join the group. They can have quite severe mood swings and get very angry. Some suffer from post-traumatic stress and are very fearful. I remember one youngster who wouldn’t make eye contact. The group offers them a safe environment to express their feelings. Even within weeks, they start being more engaged. There is always a lot of laughter, which is important."

The youth group provides support in the following ways:

Weekly peer support groups
Life skills programme
Creative projects
Educational mentoring with The Refugee Support Network
ESOL support classes
Support in accessing compensation
Social activities
Residentials
Individual support plan and signposting for further support

Travel expenses and food are provided for each session.

If you would like to refer a young person who may be a victim of trafficking, please note the following criteria:

Aged 15-23
Practitioner has concerns about trafficking

Download our youth programme leaflet for more information

To refer a young person, contact [email protected] or call 020 7607 2136

Latest

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, compiling the latest statistics and recent policy developments on this important issue. In this report, we draw on our experience of working with affected young people to flag concerns about the current response to child trafficking, despite progress made in reporting of such cases and the advent of dedicated legislation across the UK.
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.
ECPAT UK’s short film on child trafficking wins gold medal at New York Festival

ECPAT UK (Every Child Protected Against Trafficking) is thrilled that its animated short film about child trafficking in cannabis cultivation – The Secret Gardeners, has won the gold medal in the Human Concerns category at the New York Festivals World’s Best TV and Films awards.

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.

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.