ECPAT UK (Every Child Protected Against Trafficking) is a leading children’s rights organisation working to protect children from trafficking and exploitation. Our vision is ‘Children everywhere enjoy their rights to be protected and to lives free from trafficking and exploitation.’ Our mission is to promoteband uphold children’s rights in the UK and outside of the UK by informing, educating and researching child trafficking and exploitation, increasing awareness of and campaigning to end child trafficking and exploitation, standing with children and young people affected by exploitation and working collaboratively for change.
This briefing has been developed by ECPAT UK with the support and expertise of the Youth Advisory Group.

This group is made up by young people who are experts-by-experience who are in a position to get involved with steering our organisational campaigns and strategy.
Child trafficking is child abuse and a gross violation of children’s basic human rights, depriving them of their right to live free from abuse. The exploitation of children remains a significant issue in the United Kingdom, with far-reaching impact on children themselves and on society. A new government has the opportunity to address the on-going failures child victims continue to face as they are denied their rights to grow and develop in a safe and nurturing environment impacting their development into adulthood, mental health, self-esteem, and overall well-being.
The UK government has legal obligations under international conventions and treaties, and domestic legislation to protect children from exploitation and abuse. The Council of Europe Convention Against Trafficking in Human Beings (ECAT) specifically sets out that the government must take specific and proactive measures to reduce children’s vulnerability to trafficking, notably by creating a protective environment for them.

Despite these obligations, a significant number of regressive measures in recent years such as the
removal of consideration for international protection, disqualification from protection and increased barriers to identification, have left more children at significant risk of harm. Children need protection from abuse and specialist support to recover from the abuse they have endured, but a decline in political commitment and deprioritisation of children’s rights, alongside the decimation of funding for children’s services in over a decade of austerity, have left thousands of children without it.2 Children account for 44% of all referrals to the current framework for identification, the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) with 7,432 potential child victims identified in 2023, a continued year on year increase.3

The NRM is not working for children and an important pilot to transfer these functions to local safeguarding partners has been successful and expanded.4 We urge a commitment to roll it out and ensure that it works for all children to address their needs.5 Like most children and young people, child victims struggle to access statutory mental health services due to insufficient provision, high threshold criteria and a lack of specialism.6 In 2020, one in three trafficked children went missing from care compared to one in 10 of all looked after children in England and around one in 200 children overall in the UK, with the lack of appropriate accommodation a significant factor.7 Children continue to be criminalised in the UK for offences committed as a result of their exploitation, even when identified. Turning 18 is often a cliff edge for young people where they may find a substantial drop in support and have limited or no access to adult support services.8

Victims of child trafficking with irregular immigration status face significant barriers to recovery.
Resolving children’s immigration status before transitioning to adulthood should be seen as a
safeguarding issue, as these failures can increase children’s vulnerability to further exploitation, given the fear of immigration detention and removal.9 In recent years, unaccompanied children arriving in the UK were placed in Home Office hotels outside of the care of children’s services leaving them at significant risk of harm with over 100 children still missing. There is concern that this practice,found unlawful by the High Court, could happen again due to the chronic disinvestment in children’s services.

The Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship (ICTG) service, a key commitment of the Modern
Slavery Act 2015 is yet to be rolled out to all local authority areas in England and Wales, leading toa post code lottery for children. It also remains limited to potential child victims only, unlike similarprovisions in Scotland and Northern Ireland which provide guardians for all separated children, giventheir vulnerability to exploitation and the fact they have no one with parental responsibility for them in the territory.

Child victims across England continue to struggle accessing high quality legal advice in the fields of immigration, asylum, public and criminal law.11 This was identified by young people as a defining factor in their outcomes as legal advice impacted their ability to regularise their immigration status, access the non-prosecution principle and having a foundation for their lives, hopes and aspirations.12 Prosecutions and conviction for those who exploit children remain low.13 Access to compensation also remains low, with significant barriers for children particularly when seeking an award through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).14
A new government will have the opportunity to change course, because children deserve better. The key priorities below seek to inform an action plan to prevent the exploitation of children and support those who have been victimised.

1. Commit to ending all forms of child exploitation, human trafficking and modern slavery, and develop a cross-government UK wide child exploitation strategy.
   Recent changes in legislation and policy have set back the protection of children immensely. The government must commit to ending child trafficking with a joined-up strategy that prioritises prevention, protection and care in the UK and make tackling the global problem of modern slavery a priority
2. Ensure all authorities involved in safeguarding children and the prevention of exploitation have sufficient funding and resources to address and effectively respond to modern slavery of children and young people. Safeguarding partners within the UK must be adequately resourced to ensure all agencies are equipped to identify and prevent child trafficking. Resources should also be allocated to tackle root causes with a particular focus on international development and child poverty.
3. Properly resource local authorities to provide care and protection for all children at risk of
   exploitation. Local authority children’s services need adequate funding and resources to ensure they are able to provide the care and protection needed to safeguard all children in their area from trafficking and exploitation. Special attention must be given to expanding capacity within the care system so that all local authorities can lawfully discharge their duties towards children in their care. Unaccompanied children must never again be denied care and protection and placed alone in hotels.
4. Ensure immigration functions do not impede the protection and safeguarding of child victims of trafficking. Child victims of trafficking should be granted immigration leave upon receiving a positive conclusive grounds decision from the NRM in line with their best interests. The length of leave should be for a minimum of 5 years and with the subsequent ability to apply for indefinite leave to remain.
5. Roll out independent guardianship and extend it for all unaccompanied children.
   All separated children in migration should have an independent guardian to advocate for their needs and provide tailored support to promote recovery and to safeguard them from further harm. The Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship service should be placed on a statutory footing and rolled out across all local authorities in England and Wales.
6. Reform the National Referral Mechanism for children. National Referral Mechanism decisions for children should be made by local safeguarding partners with a commitment to roll out the pilot across the UK and for all First Responders as well as those in
   health and education to be provided with specialist training on child trafficking and exploitation.

7. End the criminalisation of exploited children. Children have who been trafficked must be recognised as victims and should not face criminalisation for offences committed as a result of the exploitation. The government should commit to ensuring all police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service across the UK receive specialist training on child trafficking and the non-prosecution principle and to reviewing barriers in England and Wales to the Section 45 defence in the Modern Slavery Act 2025.
8. Ensure all exploited children have access to specialist services. Children should have access to specialist advice and support to address their experiences of exploitation. The care and support given to children must be tailored to their specific needs and vulnerabilities as victims of trafficking including specialist mental health services, and this should
   be evidenced throughout all care and pathway planning – including their immigration status.
9. Recognise that the vulnerability of child victims does not end at 18 and ensure safe transitions to adulthood. Children turning 18 should be supported in their transition to adulthood safely, ensuring they do not experience a ‘cliff edge’ drop-off in support which may leave them at increased risk, particularly
   of re-trafficking. Particular emphasis should be given to children transitioning in adulthood within the NRM and this should be recognised in the Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance and through the operation of the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC). Children’s social care personal advisors within the care system should be consistent and have access to specialist training. Services must be person-centred, flexible and adaptive to individual needs with attention given to the benefits of peer support and be-friending services for young people.
10. Provide access to justice for child victims. Urgent action must be taken to address the crisis in legal aid to ensure all children have access to high-quality legal advice in their immigration, criminal and community care matters. A concerted effort must be made to remove current barriers to prosecuting child trafficking offenses and for
    child victims to have access to redress and compensation.

For more information, please contact Laura Durán, Head of Policy, Advocacy and Research
at [email protected]
ECPAT UK (Every Child Protected Against Trafficking)
34 Wharf Rd
London
N1 7GR