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  1. Blog

Blog

We must listen to children if we are to protect them from exploitation

We must listen to children if we are to protect them from exploitation

On National Child Exploitation Awareness Day 2021, ECPAT UK's CEO Patricia Durr blogs about the need to ensure children's voices are heard and their rights are respected if we are to protect them from exploitation and harm. Read more

Posted to: Blog

Published: 18th March, 2021

Author: Anonymised User

20th anniversary of the Palermo Protocol

20th anniversary of the Palermo Protocol

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Palermo Protocol – the world’s first legally binding instrument with an agreed definition on human trafficking. ECPAT UK’s Sinead Geoghegan writes about child trafficking in the UK 20 years on and what we need to do to prevent trafficking and support victims. Read more

Posted to: Blog

Published: 27th November, 2020

Updated: 22nd December, 2020

Author: Anonymised User

Raising more than money in ECPAT UK's summer sportathon

Raising more than money in ECPAT UK's summer sportathon

This summer, ECPAT UK’s supporters are taking part in a summer sportathon to raise money for our work. Our fundraiser, Lois Fallon, blogs about her experience taking part and raising more than money in the process, and shares her top tips for fundraising success. Read more

Posted to: Blog

Published: 20th August, 2020

Updated: 31st August, 2020

Precarious journeys, precarious futures

Precarious journeys, precarious futures

The devastating news of 39 people found dead in a lorry in Essex has rightly sent shockwaves across the UK and highlighted the current dangers faced by people trying to cross the UK border. We know that people migrating face precarious journeys, however their vulnerability doesn't end on arrival in the UK. Read more

Posted to: Blog

Published: 3rd December, 2019

Updated: 27th November, 2020

Author: Anonymised User

ECPAT UK youth group members are Global Citizens!

ECPAT UK youth group members are Global Citizens!

Members of ECPAT UK's youth groups for victims of trafficking were recently invited to Co-op's Global Citizen event at the O2 Academy in Brixton. In this blog post, they reflect on the evening and share their experience of the event. Read more

Posted to: Blog

Published: 21st September, 2018

Updated: 24th September, 2018

Author: Anonymised User

BBC Two’s 'The Prosecutors': Highlighting gaps in support for child victims of trafficking

BBC Two’s 'The Prosecutors': Highlighting gaps in support for child victims of trafficking

ECPAT UK’s Information, Media and Communications Officer, Sinead Geoghegan, blogs about BBC Two’s 'The Prosecutors' episode documenting the UK’s first conviction under the Modern Slavery Act for labour exploitation of children, and how it highlighted gaps in support for child victims. Read more

Posted to: Blog

Published: 23rd August, 2018

Updated: 23rd February, 2020

Author: Anonymised User

Child victims of modern slavery also suffer under the UK’s hostile immigration regime

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. Read more

Posted to: Blog

Published: 11th May, 2018

Updated: 8th April, 2020

Author: Anonymised User

Raising awareness of child trafficking risks in Vietnam

Raising awareness of child trafficking risks in Vietnam

ECPAT UK’s Project Officer, Leah Davison, recently returned from Vietnam where ECPAT UK, Anti-Slavery International and Pacific Links Foundation launched their new short film, The Secret Gardeners. Leah reflects on the film launch and the factors driving the trafficking of Vietnamese children. Read more

Posted to: Blog

Published: 23rd January, 2018

Updated: 20th June, 2018

Author: Anonymised User

Failure to adhere to child protection rules puts refugee children at risk on arrival in Europe

Failure to adhere to child protection rules puts refugee children at risk on arrival in Europe

ECPAT UK’s current Children’s Champion, solicitor Kalvir Kaur, recently returned from volunteering in Lesvos. Here she details her concerns that some refugee children arriving in Europe are being left vulnerable to exploitation. Read more

Posted to: Blog

Published: 24th November, 2016

Updated: 20th June, 2018

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Latest

  • Joint response to the King's Speech announcement of reforms to the modern slavery framework

    Joint response to the King's Speech announcement of reforms to the modern slavery framework

    Following the announcement In the King's Speech that the new Immigration and Asylum Bill will include reforms to the modern slavery legislative framework, leading organisations and experts warn the government that it cannot end human trafficking and modern slavery without a safeguarding-first response to all victims and survivors that shifts the balance of risk decisively onto traffickers

  • Child Trafficking Survivors Warn: Government Proposals Will Put Vulnerable Children at Risk

    Child Trafficking Survivors Warn: Government Proposals Will Put Vulnerable Children at Risk

    The ECPAT UK Youth Advisory Group has issued a strong response to the King’s Speech with the announcement of a new Immigration and Asylum Bill as part of the government’s ongoing plans to reform the asylum and immigration system. The group raises the alarm about the impact on child victims of trafficking of major changes which will make identification and protection of victims harder.

  • An Overview of Child Trafficking, Modern Slavery & Exploitation

    An Overview of Child Trafficking, Modern Slavery & Exploitation

    This online course provides a detailed overview of child trafficking, modern slavery and exploitation in the UK, supporting practitioners to identify and effectively safeguard child victims.

  • ECPAT UK welcomes GRETA’s Fourth Evaluation Report and urges Government to act on urgent child‑specific recommendations

    ECPAT UK welcomes GRETA’s Fourth Evaluation Report and urges Government to act on urgent child‑specific recommendations

    ECPAT UK welcomes the publication of the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) Fourth Evaluation Round report on the United Kingdom, which delivers urgent and detailed child‑focused recommendations for the United Kingdom. GRETA’s report draws significantly on ECPAT UK’s research, reflecting our long‑standing evidence of systemic failures in the UK’s response to child trafficking and exploitation.

Most read

  • What is child trafficking?

  • Child trafficking statistics

    Child trafficking statistics

    The latest data on the number of victims of trafficking in the UK and worldwide.

  • National Referral Mechanism

    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.

  • Volunteer

    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.

  • The Secret Gardeners: New film on child trafficking from Vietnam

    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.

  • Our team

    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.

  • About us

    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.

  • United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

    United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

    The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is an international human rights treaty that grants all children and young people (aged 17 and under) a comprehensive set of rights. The UK signed the Convention on 19 April 1990, ratified it on 16 December 1991 and it came into force on 15 January 1992.

  • Contact us

    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.

  • United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols Thereto (including the Palermo Protocol)

    United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols Thereto (including the Palermo Protocol)

    The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols Thereto is the main international legal instrument in the fight against transnational organised crime, including human trafficking.

More than Words: how definitions impact on the UK’s response to child trafficking and exploitation

More than Words: how definitions impact on the UK’s response to child trafficking and exploitation

This report highlights how overlaps and gaps in terminology, and how they have created confusion and definitional instabilitythat hinders effective identification and intervention. These inconsistencies impact frontline practice, from safeguarding to policing and prosecution, resulting in missed opportunities to protect children from harm. Read more

Published: 22nd July, 2025

Updated: 5th March, 2026

Author: Laura Duran

ECPAT UK welcomes GRETA’s Fourth Evaluation Report and urges Government to act on urgent child‑specific recommendations

ECPAT UK welcomes GRETA’s Fourth Evaluation Report and urges Government to act on urgent child‑specific recommendations

ECPAT UK welcomes the publication of the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) Fourth Evaluation Round report on the United Kingdom, which delivers urgent and detailed child‑focused recommendations for the United Kingdom. GRETA’s report draws significantly on ECPAT UK’s research, reflecting our long‑standing evidence of systemic failures in the UK’s response to child trafficking and exploitation. Read more

Published: 5th May, 2026

Updated: 13th May, 2026

Author: Laura Duran

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Report immediate concerns about a child's welfare

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. You can find their contact details on the Directgov website or in the phone book.

You can also contact the Modern Slavery Helpline on 0800 0121 700 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

If your concern is urgent, please call the police in your area or 999.

ECPAT UK
Family Action
34 Wharf Road 
London N1 7GR

Tel: 020 7607 2136
Email: [email protected]

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