Modern Slavery and Trafficking

“An umbrella term for activities involved when one person obtains or holds another person in slavery or servitude, or requires another person to perform forced or compulsory labour.”

Adapted from the Modern Slavery Act, 2015

“Human Trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit.”

Human-Trafficking (unodc.org)

Other than trafficking, modern slavery can include:

• domestic servitude;
• sexual exploitation;
• forced marriage;
• child exploitation;
• criminal exploitation
• debt bondage;
• forced labour - common areas where labour exploitation takes place include food processing; factories; construction; car washes, farming; nail and beauty salons; fishing and seafood processing; and hospitality and tourism; 
• organ harvesting.

Trafficking is exploitation

Trafficked children experience multiple forms of abuse and neglect, and the forms of abuse may overlap.

Child trafficking differs from that of adults in that a child cannot give informed consent to their exploitation, regardless of whether they seemingly agree to travel or genuinely understand the situation. Evidence of coercion or deception does not need to be present to prove an offence although, in reality, coercion and deception, etc., are likely to have been used to groom child victims.

Many of the signs are like those we see with any abusive situation; however, some specific considerations relate to children who:

• are in situations where you do not know who holds parental responsibility (see also private fostering);
• are missing from education and/or home;
• have unbelievable or surprising accounts of how they are in the country;
• have parents working without pay;
• are involved in inappropriate work;
• display multiple or repeated injuries;
• have tattoos or other marks indicating ‘ownership’;
• distrust authority;
• show recurring symptoms of poor physical, sexual and emotional health;
• display indicators of child exploitation.
• are not registered with a school or a GP practice​;
• do not have any documents (or have falsified documents);
• stay out overnight with no explanation;
• are seen getting into unknown cars or taxis;
• experience a breakdown of residential placements due to their behaviour;
• have money or goods, including mobile phones, drugs and alcohol, that they cannot account for;
• experience multiple sexually transmitted infections, miscarriages or terminations;
• are self-harming;
• misuse substances;
• are involved in criminal activity;
• spend lots of time doing household chores, rarely leave their house, and have no time for play.

Modern slavery and the trafficking of children is child abuse, therefore normal child protection procedures apply. 

Many children are trafficked ‘in plain sight’ – e.g., perpetrators of sexual/criminal exploitation have been known to pick children up from their education settings during lunch break and return them just before afternoon registration – yet the children remain invisible in terms of help and support.

Some children are hidden, never seen outside their homes or workplaces. Protecting them and promoting their welfare depends upon the awareness and co-operation of education settings, community groups and members of the public. Safeguarding trafficked children is very much everyone’s business and requires a community response, particularly in high-risk areas.

Create an environment based on equality and informed choice – help young people think about the issues and attitudes behind trafficking and modern slavery.

Ensure young people know the risks – talk about modern slavery and trafficking at an age-appropriate level and have a safety plan to get help.

Check young people have safe relationships – in their family, with their peers and with your staff. Create an environment where it is okay to talk even about the most difficult things.

Know the signs and know what to do – use the checklists above, your safeguarding procedures and be confident in raising trafficking and modern slavery concerns with your designated safeguarding lead. Settings should refer to children’s services or the police, which are ‘first responder’ organisations and should follow the National Referral Mechanism guidance to assess the next steps.

Support pupils and families - ensure children and their families know they are not alone and do not have to suffer such abuse. Encourage victims to speak out and ensure they know they will be listened to.

Signpost to supportive services - use the resources below to find out what support is available.

Take action – and keep taking action until you know children and young people are safe.