The Refugee and Migrant Children’s Consortium, a coalition of over 60 organisations (including ECPAT UK), is appalled by the continued use of hotels by the Home Office to accommodate unaccompanied children arriving in the UK and has continued to demand that it is stopped and that children are looked after by local authorities as all children should and according to the law. This briefing explains why. Read more
Part 5 of the Nationality and Borders Bill will affect all child victims of trafficking, and will be detrimental to unaccompanied children at significant risk of exploitation. This briefing supports a number of changes to the Bill, including an amendment which would exempt victims of modern slavery, exploitation or trafficking from many of the provisions in Part 5 if they were under 18 when they became a victim, and would ensure the best interests of children in all decisions about them. Read more
The Nationality and Borders Bill includes damaging proposals which will impact all child victims of trafficking, including those subject to immigration control. This briefing focuses on concerns about immigration decision-making for child victims of trafficking and modern slavery in the context of the proposals to legislate, for the first time, the specific entitlement to immigration leave for confirmed victims of modern slavery – perhaps the only measure that has a place in this Bill. Read more
Creating Stable Futures: Human Trafficking, Participation and Outcomes for Children is a series of briefings for the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Department for Education, Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills, Scottish Government, NI Executive, Welsh Government and the Association of Directors of Children's Services, setting out how the UK can secure stable, positive outcomes for child victims of trafficking. Drawing on research and the lived experience of child Read more
Ensuring the safety and welfare of children is a fundamental duty of local authorities in England and Wales. In recent years, unaccompanied children arriving in the UK, traumatised, having faced abuse or mistreatment in their country of origin or during their journey to the UK, were placed in Home Office hotels outside of the care of children’s services. This briefing reviews the Legal judgements and remaining challenges regarding the care of unaccompanied children in the UK. Read more
We are sharing the enclosed briefing, concisely setting out how the Bill undermines the rule of law, and urge Members of Parliament to oppose this Bill at Second Reading. Read more
The government’s new draft Slavery and Human Trafficking (Definition of Victim) Regulations narrow the definition of a victim of trafficking and modern slavery, reducing the chances that victims will be identified. They were introduced without consulting anti-trafficking organisations and they could have far-reaching and damaging consequences for victims of trafficking and modern slavery. This new joint briefing presents our concerns about the regulations and recommendations to improve them. Read more
The Refugee and Migrant Children’s Consortium, a coalition of over 60 organisations (including ECPAT UK), has produced this briefing outlining how the government's plan to remove people seeking asylum in the UK to Rwanda could impact children, and how to protect age-disputed young people from relocation under the scheme. Read more
Part 5 of the Bill seeks to reform modern slavery legislation, and will impact severely on children who are at risk and vulnerable to exploitation. This joint briefing provides detail on the contents of and need for Lords Amendment 27, which seeks to exempt child victims from the most damaging provisions in this part of the Bill and to ensure that all decisions are made in their best interests. Read more
Part 5 of the Nationality and Borders Bill seeks to reform modern slavery legislation, and will impact severely on children who are at risk and vulnerable to exploitation. This briefing looks at Amendment 27, which seeks to exempt child victims from the most damaging provisions in this part of the Bill and to ensure that all decisions are made in their best interests. Read more
The Nationality and Borders Bill began its Committee Stage Reading in the House of Lords on 27th January 2022. This briefing addresses Part 5 of the Bill, which contains no protections or differential provisions for child victims, setting out our concerns about the ways in which Part 5 will impact children and young people, and supporting amendments for mitigating its worst effects. Read more
The Nationality and Borders Bill has its Second Reading in the House of Lords on 5th January 2022. The Bill includes far reaching reforms to modern slavery legislation; extensively changing the system for identifying, protecting and supporting victims of trafficking. This briefing sets out our concerns about the impact on children and young people and the lack of consideration of their needs and rights. Read more
The government's Nationality and Borders Bill includes measures that will impact all child victims of trafficking in the UK as well as all children and young people subject to immigration control. The Bill reaches Report Stage in the House of Commons on 7th and 8th December 2021. MPs will consider the Bill as amended in Committee and a range of further amendments. The Bill includes far reaching reforms to modern slavery legislation the system with no protection for child victims. Read more
The government's Nationality and Borders Bill includes measures that will impact all child victims of trafficking in the UK as well as all children and young people subject to immigration control. The bill reforms modern slavery legislation; extensively changing the system for identifying, protecting and supporting victims of trafficking. In this briefing, we analyse measures in the bill and set out our concerns about how they will affect all at risk children and child victims of trafficking. Read more
The government's New Plan for lmmigration includes proposals for reforms that will impact all child victims of trafficking in the UK and all children subject to immigration control. The proposals include reform of modern slavery legislation alongside wider asylum proposals. In this briefing, we set out our concerns about a range of measures in the Bill. Read more
In this joint parliamentary briefing with charities from across the children's sector, we highlight how leaving the European Union without a deal could affect the UK's ability to safeguard children Read more
The protection of children in migration is dependent on effective multi-agency and cross-border approaches where the best interests of the child are always the primary consideration in all actions taken. Download our briefing on how better cross-border cooperation will prevent trafficking of children in migration. Read more
Download the discussion paper produced jointly by ECPAT UK and organisations across the children's sector, exploring the specific implications of Brexit on children and young people. Read more
Read the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group's briefing paper on Brexit and the UK's fight against modern slavery Read more
In partnership with the Council of Europe, ECPAT International's Global Forum for adult survivors of childhood sexual exploitation is an opportunity for survivors from around the world to shape political and other important agenda by making recommendations to governments and other decision-makers. Read more
ECPAT UK and its global partners issue a statement on child protection in the context of the current refugee crisis in Europe. Read more
This expert paper presents a brief overview of the scale of child sexual exploitation and child trafficking in the UK, a description of existing and new national responses to child protection, and an analysis of the international ramifications of domestic measures to prevent the sexual exploitation of children abroad by British nationals. Read more
As part of its campaign against sexual exploitation and abuse of children in travel and tourism by British travelling sex offenders, ECPAT UK is calling on the UK Government to ratify and implement the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention). Read more
ECPAT UK and Missing People's information sheet highlights the increased risk of child victims of trafficking to go missing from care, where they are highly likely to return to exploitation. Read more