@ecpatuk.bsky.social
We campaign against child trafficking and transnational child exploitation so children everywhere can uphold their rights and live a life free from abuse.
@ecpatuk.bsky.socialA major win after years of ECPAT UK campaigning.
The Government has tabled an amendment to exempt all children from public order disqualification on general public order grounds.
Important progress, but gaps remain.
Read our response: www.ecpat.org.uk/News/major-w...
@ecpatuk.bsky.socialReposted by @ecpatuk.bsky.socialNEW REPORT: Child trafficking referrals rose 17% in 2025, while convictions in cases flagged for trafficking and child abuse more than halved.
Today, with the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, we launch Child Trafficking in the UK: A Snapshot 2026.
@helenbamber.orgReposted by @ecpatuk.bsky.socialThousands of child trafficking victims in the UK may go unidentified, while few perpetrators face justice.
A new report from @ecpatuk.bsky.social highlights serious gaps in protection and risks posed by immigration reforms.
Read the report: tinyurl.com/58hrcfsk
@ecpatuk.bsky.social10/10 ECPAT UK has documented the UK's response to child trafficking since 2010.
Our latest findings show that progress remains slow and, in some areas, is going backwards.
Children deserve better.
Read the full report here:
➡️ tinyurl.com/58hrcfsk
@ecpatuk.bsky.social9/10 This #AntiSlaveryWeek, we're calling on the Government to introduce a comprehensive, cross-government Child Exploitation Strategy.
It must prioritise prevention, early identification, protection and recovery, and ensure those responsible for exploiting children are brought to justice.
@ecpatuk.bsky.social8/10 Children who have been trafficked need safety, specialist support and long-term stability. Yet barriers to identification, protection and secure immigration status continue to undermine their recovery. Every child must be protected, regardless of nationality or immigration status.
@ecpatuk.bsky.social7/10 Proposed changes in the Immigration and Asylum Bill risk making things worse. New credibility provisions could penalise victims for delayed disclosure, inconsistencies or omissions in their accounts.
@ecpatuk.bsky.social6/10 Identification does not always mean protection. Our report highlights serious disparities in trafficking decisions between British and foreign national children, raising concerns about whether all children are receiving equal access to protection.
@ecpatuk.bsky.social5/10 Children are being recruited to transport drugs, commit theft and other offences. Others face sexual exploitation, labour exploitation and domestic servitude. Too often, children come to the attention of authorities only after they have suffered serious harm.
@ecpatuk.bsky.social4/10 Yet accountability for those exploiting children remains shockingly low. In 2025, just 17 convictions were recorded in cases flagged for both modern slavery or trafficking and child abuse, down from 38 in 2024. Children are being exploited while perpetrators too often escape justice.
@ecpatuk.bsky.social3/10 And these figures may be just the tip of the iceberg. Children's social care in England recorded more than 30,000 assessment episodes involving criminal exploitation, sexual exploitation or trafficking in a single year. Thousands more children may be going unidentified.
@ecpatuk.bsky.social2/10 7,045 children were referred as potential victims of trafficking and modern slavery in 2025. That's a 17% increase in just one year exposing the scale of exploitation taking place within communities across the UK.
@ecpatuk.bsky.socialNEW REPORT: Child trafficking referrals rose 17% in 2025, while convictions in cases flagged for trafficking and child abuse more than halved.
Today, with the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, we launch Child Trafficking in the UK: A Snapshot 2026.
@ecpatuk.bsky.social📣 Announcing 4 Children's Champions 2025/26:
Jonathan Farrell, Kimberley Hutchison, Beth Smith of @barnardos.org.uk and Kathleen Whitehead of @gmiau.bsky.social
Recognised by our Youth Advisory Group for outstanding commitment to child victims of trafficking
@ecpatuk.bsky.socialIt also looks at the treatment of 16- and 17-year-olds living in supported accommodation and recommends the introduction of universal standards of care across all children's social care settings, including supported accommodation and says children must not share accommodation with adults.
@ecpatuk.bsky.socialThe Committee calls on the Government to regularly publish data on the missing children, explain action being taken to locate them, investigate why they went missing, and report to the Committee every three months until they are found.
@ecpatuk.bsky.socialThe report raises concerns about the safety and suitability of accommodation and highlights the continuing failure to locate children who went missing after being placed in Home Office-run hotels between 2021 and 2024.
40 children are still missing
@ecpatuk.bsky.socialECPAT UK welcomes today's Joint Committee on Human Rights report calling for urgent action to strengthen children's rights and protection in the social care system and incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
