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Protecting children from the modern day slave trade

DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES News Release (2007/0129) issued by The Government News Network on 13 July 2007

The battle against child trafficking received another major boost today with the publication of cross-Government guidance to help professionals and community groups that come into contact with these vulnerable young people.

A recent report commissioned by Government identified 330 suspected cases of children being trafficked into and around the UK- many are then coerced into sex work, sold into domestic servitude, forced to work in sweat shops or drawn into a life of crime.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families is issuing the guidance for consultation. It explains how to spot the victims of child trafficking and give them the help and long-term support they need to escape the cycle of exploitation and abuse.

The document, which has been jointly produced with the Home Office, has advice for a wide range of professionals - from immigration officials to social workers - as well as for communities. It clearly describes the best actions to take if a child is suspected of being trafficked and the important steps that need to be taken to ensure they don't fall back into the hands of the traffickers.

Department for Children, Schools and Families Minister Kevin Brennan said:

"We have a duty to protect every child in this country from exploitation and abuse - wherever they come from and however they arrive at these shores.

"Child trafficking is a particularly ugly and pernicious crime, with serious consequences for the young people caught up in it. It can be difficult to identify, and once in care it can be difficult for local services to ensure the children are not drawn back into the clutches of the traffickers.

"That is why it is vital for practitioners to use this guidance, to act quickly and in a joined up way. That is the best way to ensure that the crucial interventions are made, to break the cycle of child exploitation."

Home Office Minister, Vernon Coaker, said:

"Child trafficking is an appalling crime which causes terrible distress and ruins the lives of its victims.

"The guidance published today provides valuable information to those working on the front line, helping them to recognise victims of child trafficking and giving advice on how they should work together with other agencies to ensure these children are rescued from the horrors they can face.

"This latest guidance demonstrates our ongoing commitment to do more and help identify and protect the victims of this vile crime while taking further steps to make the United Kingdom a hostile place for traffickers."

The guidance represents the latest tool in the fight to eradicate child trafficking, which has recently been strengthened by the creation of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, the Border and Immigration Agency, new global visas, the UK Borders Bill and support from the new NSPCC child trafficking advice and support line.

The guidance lays out the common background to cases of child trafficking - identifying that poverty is the root cause of these crimes, with families being persuaded their child will have a better life elsewhere.

Once removed from the family physical and mental abuse can be used to control the child, including: violence; threats of 'voodoo' or 'witchcraft' against them and their family; depriving the child of money, social contact and official papers like passports - to effectively remove their identity.

There are many challenges to identifying and protecting these children, which the guidance aims to address. It calls for swift action, taken by all services who may come into contact with these children, as the key to safeguarding their future wellbeing.

Actions for local services are wide ranging and include:

* advising schools to be alert to those children who register briefly and then drop off the roles;

* promoting integrated 'Paladin teams' within Police forces;

* considering Emergency Protection Orders for trafficked children;

* identifying a lead professional and team to draw up a child protection plan, including arrangements for supervision;

* involving the expertise of bodies such as the Refugee Council Children's Panel and the NSPCC;

* conducting sensitive interviews with children at immigration - away from the possible traffickers; and

* keep trafficking issues in mind when investigating private fostering arrangements.

NOTES TO EDITORS

* The draft guidance Safeguarding Children Who May Have Been Trafficked will form part of the overarching Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance that was published in 2006. See http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk

* The new guidance will be available for consultation for 5 weeks at: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations

* The guidance is based on research, expertise and good practice from across Government and other non-government bodies. A full list of acknowledgements is included in the document.

* The CEOP report A Scoping Project on Child Trafficking in the UK is available at http://www.ceop.gov.uk

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