UNICEF urges UK to protect trafficked children by closing legal loophole

Youngsters from a growing number of countries are being imported into the United Kingdom against their will as cheap labour, often ending up in prostitution, according to a new report published today by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The report, Stop the Traffic!, was released as part of UNICEF’s campaign in the United Kingdom to end child exploitation. With increasing instances of children being illegally transported from West Africa, Eastern Europe or Asia and surfacing in places such as Newcastle and Nottingham, the report urges Great Britain to introduce a law to prohibit any form of child trafficking.

According to the report, the hundreds of known cases of trafficked children are just the tip of the iceberg – thousands more may be imported into the UK every year, but the scale of the problem is hidden by the nature of the crime and a lack of police statistics because trafficking has not been a criminal offence.

“Trafficking is a serious abuse of child rights and is the fastest growing business of organized crime since its is seen as less risky that drug trafficking,” said David Bull, UNICEF UK’s Executive Director. The study bears out that claim, noting that children are being brought to cities all over the UK, indicating that traffickers are widening their operations and targeting places where authorities are less aware of the issue.

“Until very recently, trafficking wasn’t even illegal and is only a crime if carried out for sexual exploitation,” Mr. Bull said, stressing that the British Government must criminalize trafficking for all purposes and should introduce central funding for specialist care and protection for the victims.

The Government's Sexual Offences Bill, currently in the House of Commons, makes it illegal to traffic people into the UK for sexual exploitation, but children imported for other work remain unprotected. UNICEF is urging the Government to close this loophole and make it illegal to traffic a child for any purpose. The agency also stresses that any government funding scheme should include training for immigration officers, social workers, counselling and safe houses.