Following news that over 1,500 victims of child trafficking who have been identified for support could relapse into the hands of their traffickers, the Children's Commissioner for England has issued a warning, stating that some victims are not receiving enough protection when they are referred to support services.

youngsters in Albania who are imprisoned and made to grow cannabis plants, as well as youngsters in the UK who are coerced into drug deals over county lines, are victims of child trafficking.

Dame Rachel de Souza, the children's commissioner, made a statement in response to fresh freedom of information data that the anti-trafficking group After Exploitation shared with the Guardian.

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.

“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.”

"We are committed to tackling all forms of modern slavery and making sure that victims are given the support they need to start rebuilding their lives," a Home Office official stated.

"First responders use their professional judgement to identify signs of modern slavery and refer individuals to the national referral mechanism." There could be several referrals made about the same possible case of modern slavery.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN