Victim safeguarding and support

There is no accurate data available on the number of migrant children who are trafficked in the UK.37 However, from the statistics available we can establish that more than 30,000 children went missing after their arrival to Europe between 2014 and 2017.38 Children can go missing for a variety of reasons, although the act of going missing can be an indicator of trafficking and exploitation.39 Factors which heighten a child’s vulnerability and susceptibility to exploitation on their arrival into the UK include:

poor reception conditions, lack of access to information on their rights and the support available, and slow and complex procedures to regularise their immigration status, claim protection and reunite with family.40 Many children have left situations of poverty, discrimination, persecution and civil war. Their needs are complex, and after being left traumatised by the cause of their fleeing, they then have to cope with a difficult journey whilst being separated from their home, culture, family, friends and communities.41 Research has found that the level of manipulation and control traffickers have exerted on children often leaves them with a lack of trust in adults.42 This, in turn, can lead children to suffer from anxiety, stress, isolation, loneliness, disturbed sleep, headaches, eating difficulties, panic attacks and depression.43

Victim safeguarding and support

When a non-UK national child is identified as a potential victim of trafficking, there often is very little information known about them and data on education, healthcare or immigration records may be missing.44 Children are often identified at a port of entry, a location where exploitation is known to take place, or when they present themselves to the authorities. The charity Unseen has found the evidence base for best practice is limited when considering both placing and supporting non-UK national children who have experienced trafficking.45 This is compounded by budgetary constraints meaning this vulnerable population group is not always being placed in the best accommodation to support their needs.46 These gaps in provision reflect the current

situation regarding the safeguarding of all trafficked children, yet there have also been arguments that institutional racism is causing some migrant children to receive inadequate support.47 Migrant children face numerous additional barriers in accessing help, including: • a language barrier • lack of support networks within the UK • lack of trust in professionals as a result of corruption in their country of origin • lack of knowledge about the support available in the UK.48 Migrant children also face the risk of being forced to return to their country of origin despite having grown up in the UK and not having any remaining contact with their birthplace. The reality of this situation can be seen in the case study of Kobe, which is reproduced from ECPAT UK’s 2020 annual report on child trafficking in the UK.