Trafficked children in the UK need you to act
By Miriam Karmali Advocacy, Freedom United
Parliament has been ablaze following the deportation of “serious offenders” to Jamaica,[1] a continuation of the Windrush scandal. Some on board the Home Office flight had been in the UK since they were children. Others, caught up in ‘county lines’ may actually be victims of trafficking, prosecuted for crimes they were forced to commit.[2]
It’s clear that in this environment, commitments to victims and survivors of modern slavery, even children, could be overridden through the government’s focus on curbing immigration. We shouldn’t allow that to happen.
Back in 2014, thanks to the support of an 85,000 strong petition,we successfully powered the call to establish a statutory system of legal guardianship[3] to provide vulnerable children with an independent professional to fight for their rights under new modern slavery legislation.
The government committed to providing guardians, or “independent child trafficking advocates”, under section 48 of the 2015 Modern Slavery Act[4] and an initial trial of the guardianship scheme was tested in 23 local authorities in England.[5]
Young people have been very clear on just how important it is to have a guardian to explain official processes, join meetings and look out for their best interests. They say that they need someone who could “explain how to be safe”; “help (them) to learn English”; and could “make life easier”.[6]
So we were not surprised when an initial review of the pilot showed that the benefits of the scheme included psychological and emotional support, help navigating the immigration, care, and criminal justice system, and practical help with housing and education.[7] The guardian scheme also helps address the tragedy that happens all too often – survivors falling back into the hands of the traffickers.
But five years on, the scheme is yet to be rolled out nationally, leaving many child victims and survivors without access to a guardian. In June 2016, the UK government announced that it would start rolling out the scheme nationally but progress has been too slow.[8] In October 2018, we took 120,000 signatures to the Prime Minister’s Office calling for children to be given a chance to recover from trafficking. The new government needs to be reminded of their commitments.
Send a message to your MP asking them to urge the Home Secretary to roll-out of the scheme available to all child victims of trafficking.
Parliamentarians tell us that they are most likely to read and respond to personal messages. So be as creative as possible when writing to your MP! They want to know what YOU think.
Many children go missing from the care system and are at risk of trafficking by individuals looking to exploit their vulnerability and desperation with 28% of child victims reported missing between 2014-2015.[9]
This can be because they are being groomed or their traffickers are still in contact with them and able to exert control over them. This can happen more easily when that child doesn’t have an independent guardian to look out for their interests. But a lack of data suggests the true scale of the problem could be even bigger.
Kim’s* story:
Kim* is a Vietnamese girl who was trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation in the UK via Russia when she was just 15.[10] Her traffickers had brought her to England on a fake passport, which was spotted by authorities who put her into foster care, but instead of finding support, this was just the beginning of a new ordeal.
Kim told healthcare staff about her experiences in Russia and how scared she was of the people who brought her to the UK, each time reliving her difficult journey.
Kim was extremely traumatized about her journey, having been exploited before coming to the UK. Despite recounting her experiences to the authorities, no agency referred Kim to the government system for identifying victims of trafficking in the UK.
Uniformed police officers were sent to her foster home to interview Kim. She was scared and reluctant to talk about her experiences. Within days of her police interview, her foster mother saw Kim leave the house and get into a car in the middle of the night but her other children prevented her from being able to intervene. Kim’s traffickers had managed to contact her and had pressured her to leave.[11]
With no guardian to develop trust with Kim and act in her best interests, Kim was left vulnerable, and fell victim to being retrafficked. Kim has not been seen since.
Anna** is another young person who, despite being recognized as a victim of trafficking, has no automatic right to the remain in the UK once she reaches 18, leaving her unsure of whether she will be forced to return to her country of origin where it may not be safe.
“In the UK, the Home Office asked a lot of questions. Then I received a letter saying my age is not accepted. My identity is not accepted. We’re getting confused. We never have sleep. We are scared every night that they will send us back.”[12] – Anna
Unaccompanied and trafficked children in the UK can be kept in limbo for long periods of time. For some, as soon as they turn 18, much of the support they had received comes to an abrupt end.
There are few routes to securing immigration status for child victims of trafficking and there is no grant of leave to remain in the UK provided specifically for these children. Instead many child victims often apply for refugee status, like Anna.
However, it can be particularly difficult for these children to be granted asylum because their personal histories do not always meet the Refugee Convention definition. Anna’s case is still ongoing.
We are urgently calling on the UK government to grant all unaccompanied trafficked children secure immigration statusin their best interest and ensure they are assigned an independent adult guardian to help them navigate complex legal, education, care and criminal systems.
We are continuing our partnership with child trafficking organizationECPAT UK to secure these two important guarantees so that children are provided with the safety, security and stability necessary for recovery and realize a bright future.
Providing all unaccompanied trafficked children with anindependent adult advocate to help them navigate complex legal, care and education systems and a secure immigration status will better protect them from exploitation and support their transition to recovery.
Ask your MP to take action for young people like Anna and Sara.
Kim’s story is a composite of two young people’s lived experiences
**Name changed to protect identity
[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51474170
[2] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/boris-johnson-urged-stop-jamaica-deportation-flight-200206220219943.html
[3] https://www.freedomunited.org/our-impact/child-trafficking-law-united-kingdom/
[4] http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/30/section/48
[5]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/730098/assessment-of-independent-child-trafficking-advocates-horr101.pdf
[6]https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/files/Research%20publications%20and%20presentations/Heading%20back%20to%20harm/HBTH_Report2016_Final_web_version.pdf
[7] https://www.barnardos.org.uk/what-we-do/protecting-children/trafficked-children
[8]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/730098/assessment-of-independent-child-trafficking-advocates-horr101.pdf
[9]https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/files/Research%20publications%20and%20presentations/Heading%20back%20to%20harm/HBTH_Report2016_Final_web_version.pdf
[10]https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/files/Research%20publications%20and%20presentations/Heading%20back%20to%20harm/HBTH_Report2016_Final_web_version.pdf
[11]https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/files/Research%20publications%20and%20presentations/Heading%20back%20to%20harm/HBTH_Report2016_Final_web_version.pdf
[12] https://www.ecpat.org.uk/news/young-people-demand-stable-futures
