DEPARTMENT FOR
CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES News Release (2007/0129) issued by
The Government News Network on 13 July 2007
The battle
against child trafficking received another major boost today with
the publication of cross-Government guidance to help professionals
and community groups that come into contact with these vulnerable
young people.
A recent report commissioned by Government identified 330
suspected cases of children being trafficked into and around the
UK- many are then coerced into sex work, sold into domestic
servitude, forced to work in sweat shops or drawn into a life of crime.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families is issuing the
guidance for consultation. It explains how to spot the victims of
child trafficking and give them the help and long-term support
they need to escape the cycle of exploitation and abuse.
The document, which has been jointly produced with the Home
Office, has advice for a wide range of professionals - from
immigration officials to social workers - as well as for
communities. It clearly describes the best actions to take if a
child is suspected of being trafficked and the important steps
that need to be taken to ensure they don't fall back into the
hands of the traffickers.
Department for Children, Schools and Families Minister Kevin
Brennan said:
"We have a duty to protect every child in this country from
exploitation and abuse - wherever they come from and however they
arrive at these shores.
"Child trafficking is a particularly ugly and pernicious
crime, with serious consequences for the young people caught up in
it. It can be difficult to identify, and once in care it can be
difficult for local services to ensure the children are not drawn
back into the clutches of the traffickers.
"That is why it is vital for practitioners to use this
guidance, to act quickly and in a joined up way. That is the best
way to ensure that the crucial interventions are made, to break
the cycle of child exploitation."
Home Office Minister, Vernon Coaker, said:
"Child trafficking is an appalling crime which causes
terrible distress and ruins the lives of its victims.
"The guidance published today provides valuable information
to those working on the front line, helping them to recognise
victims of child trafficking and giving advice on how they should
work together with other agencies to ensure these children are
rescued from the horrors they can face.
"This latest guidance demonstrates our ongoing commitment to
do more and help identify and protect the victims of this vile
crime while taking further steps to make the United Kingdom a
hostile place for traffickers."
The guidance represents the latest tool in the fight to
eradicate child trafficking, which has recently been strengthened
by the creation of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection
Centre, the Border and Immigration Agency, new global visas, the
UK Borders Bill and support from the new NSPCC child trafficking
advice and support line.
The guidance lays out the common background to cases of child
trafficking - identifying that poverty is the root cause of these
crimes, with families being persuaded their child will have a
better life elsewhere.
Once removed from the family physical and mental abuse can be
used to control the child, including: violence; threats of
'voodoo' or 'witchcraft' against them and
their family; depriving the child of money, social contact and
official papers like passports - to effectively remove their identity.
There are many challenges to identifying and protecting these
children, which the guidance aims to address. It calls for swift
action, taken by all services who may come into contact with these
children, as the key to safeguarding their future wellbeing.
Actions for local services are wide ranging and include:
* advising schools to be alert to those children who register
briefly and then drop off the roles;
* promoting integrated 'Paladin teams' within Police forces;
* considering Emergency Protection Orders for trafficked children;
* identifying a lead professional and team to draw up a child
protection plan, including arrangements for supervision;
* involving the expertise of bodies such as the Refugee Council
Children's Panel and the NSPCC;
* conducting sensitive interviews with children at immigration -
away from the possible traffickers; and
* keep trafficking issues in mind when investigating private
fostering arrangements.
NOTES TO EDITORS
* The draft guidance Safeguarding Children Who May Have Been
Trafficked will form part of the overarching Working Together to
Safeguard Children guidance that was published in 2006. See http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk
* The new guidance will be available for consultation for 5 weeks
at: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations
* The guidance is based on research, expertise and good practice
from across Government and other non-government bodies. A full
list of acknowledgements is included in the document.
* The CEOP report A Scoping Project on Child Trafficking in the
UK is available at http://www.ceop.gov.uk
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