Despite local authority children’s services departments having a duty to look after trafficked minors, responsibility for child trafficking at a national level rests with the Home Office as an immigration issue.
Campaigners are now calling for ownership of the issue to be handed over to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) so a more child-centric approach can be adopted and authorities can be given a clear steer on how to act.
In July communities minister Andrew Stunell appeared to signal such a shift had taken place. He described child trafficking as a "new and important responsibility that the [Communities] department is assuming". But a ministerial letter seen by CYP Now has since dismissed his statement as an "inadvertent mistake".
Christine Beddoe, director of End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT UK), claims Stunell’s retraction indicates confusion within the government.
"We would like to see leadership from the DCLG in recognition that these are vulnerable children who are within the responsibility of local authorities," Beddoe said. "Over the past few years leadership has been patchy. Government wants to see it as an immigration issue, with Home Office control over issues affecting children, yet it is children’s services that are at the delivery end."
Beddoe argues a lack of leadership will make it less likely that key reforms, such as the introduction of guardians for trafficked children, will be introduced.
It is claimed such a move to provide higher levels of intervention with trafficked children at an earlier stage makes it less likely that a child will try to escape care and possibly be "retrafficked".
"Unless there is an immediate safety plan or a relationship of trust built up, the child will continue to live in fear of the traffickers and may ultimately go missing," Beddoe added.
But an NSPCC spokesman said the Home Office has a central role to play in tackling child trafficking. He said: "This is not an issue that can sit neatly within one department’s responsibility. The Home Office has a central role to play, but other departments should also be involved."
It is estimated that 325 children were trafficked into the UK last year according to figures released in parliament, although the true figure is unknown.
The Home Office was unavailable for comment as CYP Now went to press.
ECPAT UK's Campaign
ECPAT UK is calling on the government to give better protection and support to child victims of trafficking through its Three Small Steps to Protect Child Victims of Trafficking campaign. As part of the campaign it is asking government to:
- Improve accommodation for child victims of trafficking
- Introduce a system of guardianship for child victims of trafficking to reduce the likelihood of them looking to escape care and risk being retrafficked
- Appoint a national rapporteur on trafficking – an independent watchdog that monitors and reports publicly on child trafficking in the UK and recommends change
