Professionals failing to spot UKs hidden exploited children, says charity

Children and young people trafficked into the UK are struggling to get help from authorities responsible for their welfare, warns The Children’s Society.

A new report from the charity claims that many children exploited after their arrival are unable to find help from professionals like the police, teachers and social workers. The children said many were unwilling to help, did not believe the seriousness of their situation, or did not know where to refer them for advice.

Although the exact number of child trafficking victims in the UK remains unknown, the Hidden Children report claims that many live side by side with the rest of society, attending school, church or GP clinics, but feel unable to speak up about the abuse.

Based on 34 case studies and the experiences of 12 former hidden children, the report claims that professionals are failing to notice or act on much of the exploitation.

One young person cited in the report said that social workers asked them questions while their guardians were present or asked them about how they were doing at school but not ‘Where do you sleep?’.

“Useless; so many opportunities and they missed it,” said one unnamed child in the report.

The report calls for greater cooperation among the authorities to protect the rights of trafficked children and help them access their immigration status. It also recommends multi-agency safeguarding training for local agencies, including the police, representatives of faith communities and workers in education, health and the voluntary and social sectors.

Lisa Nandy, Policy Adviser for The Children's Society, commented: “Whilst sexual exploitation may be the most high profile form of trafficking, young people can be, and have been, exploited in a number of different ways, including forced labour and domestic servitude.

“All of these children are extremely vulnerable, and the agencies need to work together to identify and support these victims.”