“I am scared for no reason. I think that someone is behind my door, window. Someone will find me, pick me up, beat me and kill me. I have run off and they are looking for me. My mood changes all the time. I cannot control my mind."

Child trafficking is a form of abuse, and should be viewed within a child protection framework.

Trafficking involves moving children for the purpose of exploitation, which may be for commerical or non-commercial exploitation. Types of exploitation include domestic servitude, forced labour, forced criminality (street crime, petty theft, cannabis cultivation, drug dealing) prostitution or sexual abuse, illegal adoption, benefit fraud, forced marriage.

Children may be trafficked within their own country, or across borders. British children are also vulnerable to trafficking. Exploitation does not need to have occurred to evidence child trafficking, the intent to exploit is sufficient.

Once a child has been trafficked, they are vulnerable to further forms of exploitation and abuse (e.g.: a child for domestic labour may become vulnerable to sexual exploitation). Child trafficking victims are likely to have vulnerable fabours that place them at rish of re-trafficked, or being subjected to multiple trafficking experiences.

Harrow is part of a national initiative to combat child trafficking in the UK, and is a participant in the pilot of the London Safeguarding Children Board Trafficked Children Toolkit 2009.

The aim of the pilot is to increase the rate of identification and referral, and assist in making more accurate assessments. It also includes a risk assessment indicator matrix that can be used by any professional who has concerns about trafficking.

 

If you suspect that a child may have been trafficked, contact:
Children's Social Care Asylum Team: 020 8420 9687
Referral and Assessment Team: 020 8863 5544

For further information about the pilot or the toolkit, contact:
Helen Smith: helen.smith@harrow.gov.uk
Philip Ishola: philip.ishola@harrow.gov.uk

Poppy Project
Anti Slavery
Blue Blindfold
Not for Sale
Stop The Traffik

ECPAT UK Tel: 020 7233 6887

NSPCC Child Trafficking & Information Advice Line Tel: 0800 1077 057

Africans Unite Against Child Abuse (AFRUCA) Tel: 020 7704 2261

CEOP - Child Exploitation & On-line Protection Centre Tel: 0870 000 3344

CROP – Coalition of the Removal of Pimping Tel: 0113 240 3040

UKHTC - United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre Tel: 0114 252 3891

Home Office Crime Reduction Toolkits

International Social Services UK 020 7735 8941

Missing People 020 8392 4527

Refugee Council Children’s Panel 020 7346 1134

ECPAT UK has produced a free e-learning package around child trafficking that can be used individually, in small groups or during training sessions. To use the e-tool you will need to register first via the link below.

ECPAT UK e-learning package

If you cannot access the e-tool for any reason, please contact training@ecpat.org.uk and she will send you a CD-Rom version instead. A user guide is also available from the link above, this outlines the other main questions that you may have about using the e-tool.

Child Trafficking training is also available through Harrow LSCB, please refer to the training handbook or contact lscb@harrow.gov.uk