The children's charity Ecpat UK said an EU directive from 2011, due to be implemented by 6 April, should also have resulted in the creation of an anti-trafficking commissioner, and action to prevent prosecutions of trafficked children who have been forced into crime.
Bharti Patel, chief executive of Ecpat, said the government’s current approach to trafficked children is “not up to scratch”.
”The government states that it has a series of ‘equivalent mechanisms’ that bring it into compliance with the EU directive,” she said.
“Quite simply, these are not up to scratch. As long as the government continues to shy away from fully committing itself to the directive’s measures, our ability to effectively combat human trafficking and protect its victims will be seriously undermined.
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