Children’s commissioner criticises referral mechanism after FoI data reveals scale of problem
The children’s commissioner for England has warned that some child trafficking victims are not being adequately protected when referred to support services, after the Guardian learned that more than 1,500 victims identified for support are at risk of falling back into the hands of their traffickers.
Child trafficking victims include UK children forced into county lines drug dealing and Albanian children locked up and forced to cultivate cannabis plants.
The children’s commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, was commenting on new freedom of information data shared with the Guardian, which was obtained by the anti-trafficking organisation After Exploitation.
The figures for the period from January 2023 to July 2024 reveal that 1,541 children – 230 girls and 1,311 boys – and 1,714 adults – 1,244 men and 470 women – were referred two or more times to the government’s national referral mechanism (NRM), a support service for potential and confirmed victims of trafficking.
De Souza said: “As children’s commissioner, I have long been concerned about the risks facing these children, who have experienced some of the worst traumas and are extremely vulnerable. Too often they are not seen as victims first and foremost, meaning they don’t get the swift, wraparound support they need – opening them up to further exploitation and abuse.
“We know that the national referral mechanism does not sufficiently protect child victims of criminal exploitation. We welcome the government’s plans to introduce child criminal exploitation as a new offence – this must go hand in hand with improved identification and protection of all child victims.”
Patricia Durr, the chief executive of the anti-trafficking organisation Ecpat UK, described the figures as “shocking” and said it was likely that thousands of children had been re-trafficked in the past two years.
The aim of the NRM is to protect people from further abuse once they are no longer being controlled by their traffickers, by providing safe housing, counselling and other support to help them recover from their ordeal.
Durr said: “For child victims coming into the care of local authorities, their accommodation provision is also likely to increase their risk of exploitation, with our own data showing one in three trafficked children going missing and at risk of re-trafficking from local authority care in 2020.
“These shocking figures reveal the dire state of the identification procedure and protection mechanisms for child victims in the UK – with thousands of children likely re-trafficked in the past two years. Once identified, children should be protected from harm and receive a set of entitlements to assist in their recovery. Yet for most children, entering the NRM is nothing more than a tick-box exercise.”
She added that some of the child victims being supported by her organisation had been waiting for years for legal advice and access to mental health services, which had left them vulnerable to re-trafficking.
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“We urge the new government to reverse all of these harmful measures and commit to protecting children from exploitation and re-trafficking,” Durr said.
Maya Esslemont, the director of After Exploitation, said: “This data shows just how many children and adults are slipping through the cracks of the UK’s modern slavery support.
“Worryingly, nearly half of those referred more than once are children. More must be done to ensure that victims are able to access guaranteed support from the moment they come into contact with the authorities.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are committed to tackling all forms of modern slavery and ensuring that victims are provided with the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives.
“First responders refer individuals into the national referral mechanism according to their professional judgment of the indicators of modern slavery. Multiple referrals may be received relating to the same potential instance of modern slavery.”
