Concerns raised over low number of convictions for child trafficking

From April 2007 to March 2009, there was a total of 201 prosecutions, while between January 2007 and December 2009 there were 73 convictions for human trafficking in the UK, making the conviction rate for cases prosecuted 45 per cent at best.

This is significantly lower than conviction rates for rape, traditionally seen as a low mark, which in 2008 stood at 58 per cent.

The statistics are set out in a letter seen by CYP Now from security minister Baroness Neville-Jones to crossbench peer Lord Elystan Morgan.

Christine Beddoe, director of End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT UK), said the conviction rate for child trafficking is a profound problem. She cited current legislation as an issue, as prosecutors have to prove double intent: by the offender to move a person across a national border, as well as intent to exploit them.

"Children's cases are not being pursued and we are concerned about that," she said. "It is not simply about police action, it is about what the Crown Prosecution Service is doing once they have evidence. They are going for lesser offences and not prosecuting more difficult trafficking charges."

CYP Now reported concerns last week that vulnerable children who have been trafficked are receiving substandard care because of a lack of leadership at central government level.

Beddoe said levels of care can also suffer as a result of prosecutors opting to pursue lesser charges.

"If a child trafficker is prosecuted for a lesser offence, the child is not afforded the same level of support and witness protection, which can mean a higher risk of the child being re-trafficked," she said.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "Combating human trafficking is a key priority for the government, which is committed to tackling organised crime groups that profit from this human misery.

"The proposed National Crime Agency will help combat organised crime, including trafficking, more effectively."