UK: Child Trafficking Not Seen as Child Protection Issue UPDATED

“[L]ocal authority children’s services see child trafficking as an immigration rather than a child protection issue. Although not all trafficked children are sexually exploited, recent data from the Home Office Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) found that sexual exploitation, domestic servitude and forced labour in cannabis factories were the most common forms of abuse of the 287 child victims identified as being trafficked into the UK.”

“Under the Children Act, local authorities have a statutory duty to protect the welfare of all children under 18 in the UK, regardless of their immigration status or nationality. But the experiences of trafficked children such as Maria tell a different story.

“Christine Beddoe, director of child exploitation campaign group, Ecpat UK, says lack of training is only part of the problem. Child trafficking is seen as an immigration rather than a child protection issue, says Beddoe, creating a “culture of disbelief that pervades across all the statutory agencies, and challenges the credibility of the victim from day one”.

“If you don’t identify victims of trafficking early on, you can’t put the necessary safeguarding measures in place,” she adds.

Children suspected of being trafficked should be referred to child protection services while their case is investigated through the national referral mechanism – a central system for identifying and protecting all victims of trafficking that was introduced in April 2009.

The launch in February of revised national guidance and a toolkit for all agencies in contact with children is beginning to improve awareness, say campaigners. The toolkit has been piloted with 12 local authorities, and is now being rolled out to all safeguarding children boards and directors of children’s services in the UK, as well as incorporated into Scottish and Welsh legislation.”

Read the rest of the story at Child trafficking not seen as a child protection issue .
[The Guardian 5/24/11 by Louise Hunt]

Update: “Hundreds of children who have been trafficked into the UK are disappearing each year from the care system, amid allegations that government and local authorities are failing to protect them.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, a government agency, estimates that at least 300 juveniles identified as trafficked have disappeared from local authority care over the past three years.

Collated figures from the NSPCC yesterday showed they had dealt with 549 trafficked children in the past three-and-a-half years, although there was no indication of how many had since disappeared after being delivered into care.

Charities have urged the government to adopt a scheme successfully piloted in Scotland, in which guardians are appointed to act as advocates and points of contact for all children believed to have been trafficked. The government has so far rejected proposals to extend the scheme to England.

“Guardianship is an essential cost-effective way to prevent children from going missing from care,” said Christine Beddoe, director of child protection charity Ecpat UK.

“It would ensure that victims of child trafficking now in care have access to the safe housing, education and legal support which would prevent them slipping back into the hands of their exploiters.”

A policy document by the Conservatives in 2008 estimated that “over half of trafficked children disappear from social services”. The document also criticised the absence of “safe accommodation” providing 24-hour care for trafficked children. But concern is growing that the party has little appetite to tackle the issue now it is in power.”

Read the rest of the article at Hundreds of trafficked children are disappearing from the care system
[The Guardian 5/28/11 by Mark Townsend]

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