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Child Trafficking: Social services fail to stop prostitution

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Social services are failing to identify and help trafficked children forced to work as prostitutes, according to a campaign group.

Representatives from Ecpat (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking) UK were to meet children's minister Margaret Hodge on Monday to call for new guidance for social workers, Children Now has learned.

The meeting follows the launch of a major government review of prostitution law and a consultation document that highlights the need to tackle off-street prostitution.

Ecpat UK's campaign co-ordinator, Carron Somerset, said a good practice manual was needed to raise awareness of child trafficking.

She said: "These young people are put into saunas and flats. Any review will have to look at how we monitor what goes on behind closed doors, which is very difficult."

She also called for more Home Office cash to help all police forces tackle what was wrongly viewed as a London-centred problem.

Barnardo's has warned that new legislation would only work if law enforcement agencies were "proactive" in enforcing it.


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