The theme for World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, which falls on 30th July is “Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking”. Trafficking refers to the recruitment or movement of people for exploitation by use of force, threat, fraud or abuse.[i]
Children represent a significant proportion of victims worldwide. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, 1 in 3 victims of human trafficking globally is a child and girls are disproportionately affected.[ii] The Global Report on Trafficking in Persons found that children are twice as likely to face violence during trafficking than adults.[iii]
In 2010 the General Assembly adopted the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking urging governments to take action against this heinous crime. In 2013, Member States adopted resolution A/RES/68/192 and designated July 30th as the World Day against Trafficking in Persons. This resolution declared that such a day was necessary to “raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights.”[iv]
Crises such as armed conflicts, pandemics, economic hardships and environmental challenges leave children increasingly vulnerable to trafficking. Furthermore, the use of online platforms, social media and the dark web by traffickers poses additional risks to children.[v]
The term ‘human trafficking’ is used internationally, whereas in the UK the term ‘modern slavery’ has been adopted under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.[vi] ‘Modern slavery’ incorporates slavery, human trafficking and exploitation. These are umbrella terms for forced labour, sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, county lines, criminal exploitation, child labour, child sexual exploitation, forced marriage, organ harvesting and child soldiers.
In the most recent statistics provided by the Home Office, following key Modern Slavery trends have been identified:
- As many as 16,938 potential victims were referred to the UK’s National Referral Mechanism (NRM) in 2022 – a 33% increase.
- Referrals for child potential victims accounted for 41% of all referrals – 7,019 cases.
- The most common type of exploitation reported for child potential victims was criminal exploitation with 3,013 cases – 43%.
- County lines exploitation was flagged for 2,281 cases.
- Majority of county line referrals – a staggering 75% were for male children – 1,710 cases.
- 80% of the child potential victims were UK Nationals.
- Child potential victims reporting sexual exploitation rose from 365 in 2021 to 431 in 2022.
The above statistics show that Modern Slavery does not only impact foreign nationals, but also UK nationals and this is especially true for children. Statistics also show that boys are most likely to be criminally exploited and girls sexually exploited.
As we approach the 10th World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, it is crucial to address the shortcomings and accelerate action to #EndHumanTrafficking
You can play your part by:
- Reading our post on how to spot the signs of modern slavery.
- Educating yourself on child labour, ILO and UN.
- Learning more about criminal exploitation and sexual exploitation of children in the UK.
- Reporting anyone in immediate danger to the police and any suspicions to the Modern Slavery Helpline on 0800 0121 700. For suspicions related to child trafficking in Croydon you can call the Croydon Children Social Services on 0208 726 6400.
- Contacting Barnardos to make a referral.
- Writing to your MP. You can find your local MP and their contact details here or send them a message.
- Writing a post on social media or sharing this post with your network.
- Volunteering with us to raise awareness. You can find current vacancies here.
- Helping us achieve our goal of making Croydon a safer place for us all by making a small donation here.
[i] Human trafficking: migrant health guide Human trafficking: migrant health guide – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
[ii] UN Office on Drugs and Crime, World Day Against Trafficking in Persons World Day Against Trafficking in Persons – 30 July (unodc.org)
[iii] UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Global Report on Trafficking in Persons GLOTiP_2022_web.pdf (unodc.org) 2022, 38
[iv] UN, World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, World Day Against Trafficking in Persons – BACKGROUND | United Nations
[v] UN Office on Drugs and Crime, World Day Against Trafficking in Persons World Day Against Trafficking in Persons – 30 July (unodc.org)
[vi] Modern Slavery Act 2015, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/30/contents/enacted
