ECPAT UK FESTIVE FUNDRAISER 2025 - 10K TARGET ACHIEVED!

ECPAT UK’s Festive Fundraiser is now closed! As part of the Big Give Christmas Challenge every donation was doubled between 2 - 9^th December, thanks to our generous pledgers and The Childhood Trust.

Donations made on or before Wednesday 3rd December - were entered into our prize raffle which was drawn at our More than Words Festive Celebration.

Now that the campaign is over we will be contacting winners of our 2nd PRIZE RAFFLE when thanks to our generous business supporters for all donations made from noon on 6th December were entered into the draw.

All those who agreed to stay in touch with us when they donated, are in with a chance to win some great prizes:

🎁 A multi-award-winning bread board and knife from Boa

🎁 £50 voucher + bottle of Champagne from Salut!

🎁 Award-winning Curve Clam Knife Blocks for 8 knives with easy-clean design from Boa

🎁 £20 voucher + bottle of wine from Oui Madam!

Thank you for helping us raise £10,000 for our child rights, anti-trafficking work:

festive hampers, gifts and celebrations
Hardship Fund for those in need of basic support
our Youth Programme and core work to uphold children's rights to protection and lives free from trafficking and exploitation

Child trafficking is child abuse. Let child victims know we stand with them and against those who abuse them.

Latest

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

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

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 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.

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

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.
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.
UK must act now to end ‘low risk, high reward’ modern slavery, major new report warns

A consortium of the leading anti-slavery organisations has warned that the UK is falling behind in the fight against modern slavery, as it unveils a new strategic vision to end what it describes as a ‘low risk, high reward’ environment for exploiters.
ECPAT UK joins charities in sounding the alarm over ‘sustained attack on children’s rights’

In a letter to the Prime Minister, nearly 150 children’s charities and organisations working with children warn recently announced Home Office proposals would put hundreds of thousands of children, as well as young adults leaving care, at risk.
Government proposals risk pushing vulnerable care leavers into exploitation, warns ECPAT UK

ECPAT UK warns that government proposals to bring into force provisions of the Immigration Act 2016 could place vulnerable young people at serious risk of exploitation and re-trafficking by removing essential support when they leave care.
Thousands of Children Identified as Potential Victims of Modern Slavery in 2025

The Home Office has released the latest end of year summary of National Referral Mechanism (NRM) statistics, showing that in 2025 thousands of children were identified as potential victims of trafficking.
ECPAT UK responds to appointment of Chair of Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation

ECPAT UK has welcomed the appointment of the Chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation, describing it as a critical opportunity to bring clarity, rigour and a children’s rights–based approach to an issue where children have too often been failed. Responding to the Chair’s appointment and the draft Terms of Reference for the Inquiry, ECPAT UK emphasised the need for a clear, evidence-based scope that enables the Inquiry to examine systemic failures while ensuring all chil
ECPAT UK Children's Champion 2025: nomination deadline extended!

We're delighted to announce that ECPAT UK's Children's Champion award for 2025 is now open for nominations! ECPAT UK's Children's Champions award recognises someone who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to trafficked children. The winner will be selected in June by our panel of staff, trustees and young people affected by trafficking. Send in your nominations by Friday 27th February 2026!
Positive Results for Local NRM Panels, but Thousands of Child Victims Remain Outside the Pilot

Newly published Home Office National Referral Mechanism (NRM) data shows that the pilot scheme that transfers decision making about potential child victims of trafficking from central government to local authorities has been positive. Gaps remain for children outside of pilot areas as well as those deemed not admissible within the pilots.

What is child trafficking?
Child trafficking statistics

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

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 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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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