What is Child Trafficking
Trafficking is where a child or young person is tricked, forced, threatened or persuaded to leave home (permanently or for a short period of time) and are moved or transported in order to be sexually used, forced to work in slave like condition, sold or to commit crimes (like transporting drugs).
Children and young people can be tricked or forced into be trafficked for:
- Sexual exploitation (see link to understand more about this)
- Benefit fraud
- Forced marriage (being forced to marry someone that you don’t want to or have a choice about)
- Slavery – like cleaning, cooking and childcare
- Forced Labour – for example in factories or farming
- Committing crimes, like begging, theft, working on cannabis farms or moving drugs
Traffickers can be very persuasive to families and communities to gain their trust. These people can also be threatening and violent or make promises of a ‘better life’.
Children and young people can get caught by traffickers by being made to believe that they owe a ‘debt’ that their family owes a ‘debt’ and that by not paying this debt, people could be placed in danger.
Traffickers particularly target children and young people who may be:
- May feel different – because of different schools, special educational needs or maybe unemployment.
- Being poor
- Are isolated and don’t have safe adults to turn to
- Where there is a need for cheap or very low paid workers required
If you are worried that you or a friend is at risk of or already being trafficked contact the police on 999.