Tuesday 10th December 2024

On Human Rights Day, a new report from ECPAT UK and the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner reveals the UK is failing to protect trafficked children, with systemic barriers preventing them from receiving the care and justice they deserve.  

Despite a 138% rise in child trafficking cases over five years and British children accounting for 78% of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) in 2023, critical legal and policy gaps persist. 

The report urges the UK Government to invest in children’s services and long-term prevention with a cross-departmental and UK-wide Child Exploitation Strategy to combat this terrible criminal abuse of children. 

Critically it calls for the repeal of damaging provisions in the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and the Illegal Migration Act 2023, which rolled back children’s rights and hinder the protection of trafficked children.  

It also calls on the Home Office to provide confirmed child victims of trafficking with a minimum five-year grant of immigration leave and a clear route to settlement, ensuring compliance with international obligations and prioritising children’s best interests.  

Without these changes, the report warns that trafficked children face heightened risks of re-exploitation and instability. The lack of long-term support undermines their recovery, leaving them vulnerable to further harm.  

Eleanor Lyons, Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, said: “This report lays bare the UK’s failure to protect trafficked children and deliver justice for victims. The Government has a legal and moral duty to prioritise the rights of trafficked children, yet systemic failings allow their suffering to persist. Human rights cannot remain a promise on paper—they must result in action”.  

Patricia Durr, CEO of Every Child Protected Against Trafficking (ECPAT UK) said: “Every trafficked child deserves safety, stability, and a future free from fear. Yet, harmful laws and systemic failings are denying them these basic rights. Repealing damaging migration policies and granting long-term protection to child victims isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s essential to breaking the cycle of exploitation. The UK must step up and deliver on its promises to protect children and combat child abuse. A cross-government, UK-wide strategy coupled with serious investment in children and young people, is the only way to ensure it does.”

This report calls on the government to integrate a human-rights-based approach across all anti-trafficking efforts, ensuring children are protected, justice is delivered, and systemic issues are addressed. 

On Human Rights Day, the message is clear: protecting trafficked children is a test of the UK’s commitment to human rights. The time for action is now.  

Notes:

Human Rights Day is marked every year on 10 December to commemorate the day in 1948 the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  The theme of Human Rights Day 2024, “Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now,” serves as a powerful reminder of the transformative role human rights can play in combating trafficking.

You can access the report here: Child Trafficking in the UK 2024: a snapshot

Key recommendations:

1. The UK Government should invest in long-term prevention efforts with a cross-departmental UK-wide Child Exploitation Strategy that prioritises early prevention, protection, and care in the UK, to stop the exploitation of children.
2. The UK Government must urgently repeal harmful provisions in the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and the Illegal Migration Act 2023, to remove barriers to protection and ensure all child victims of trafficking are identified and protected.
3. The Home Office must provide confirmed child victims of trafficking, a grant of immigration leave of at least five years with a route to settlement, if in line with their best interests in compliance with the UK’s international obligations. 
4. The Home Office should expand the National Referral Mechanism Devolving Child Decision-Making Pilot Programme across the UK and commit to making the Independent Child Trafficking Guardians available to all local authorities in England.

This report is released as the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) conducts its fourth evaluation of the UK’s compliance with ECAT.