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subsequently abducted by their former traffickers.
effective intervention. The research reveals that the
Good inter-agency practice has developed in
very act of being trafficked and the abuse it involves
some areas. An Interagency Protocol 28 has been
isolates children from the community around them
agreed between Kent Social Services, the Immigra-
and discourages them from seeking assistance from
tion Service, Kent Police, and Migrant Helpline to
the authorities. So does the fact that many of the
identify and protect unaccompanied or separated
trafficked children do not have leave to remain in
children arriving in Kent. Social workers from West
the U.K. and are afraid of being punished if they
Sussex Social Services Department have worked with
seek protection from the authorities. Many of the
the police and the Immigration Service at Gatwick
children are also threatened with severe retribution
Airport (which is in Sussex) to develop a “trafficking
against themselves or their families if they try to
profile” to assist immigration officers to identify and
seek assistance.
protect children being trafficked through that airport.
29 West Sussex Social Services also accommodated
‘A’ was a 15-year-old Albanian girl who was tricked
unaccompanied and separated children suspected
into a bigamous marriage and brought to England.
of being trafficked in “safe houses” whilst further
She was forced to work on the streets by her “hus-
enquiries were being conducted. 30
band,” who used to hit her with his mobile phone
Very little research has yet been done into the
charger and tell her that he would cut her up into
scale of child trafficking into and through the U.K.
pieces and throw the pieces in a forest if she did
and the research that has been done has been ham-
not comply with his orders. She stated that she
pered by the hidden nature of the trade. However, it
thought people knew that she was a prostitute
became clear at a conference held in London on 10
and were disgusted. She went on to state “I hated
March 2006 that individual police officers, social
myself, I wanted to be dead. I thought I was at the
workers, lawyers, and non-governmental organiza-
lowest level of society.” 33
tions are aware of a significant number of children
trafficked into their own local areas. 31 Evidence was
Available data suggest that the number of unaccom-
SEEKING ASYLUM ALONE | UNITED KINGDOM
46
also presented that children, once trafficked in, are
moved around to service demand in various parts of
the country, although the exact picture is unclear,
with individual cases emerging in such diverse places
as West Sussex, Newcastle, and Glasgow. 32 One of
the effects of the counter trafficking measures taken
at Heathrow and Gatwick airports and Dover in the
South of England seems to have been displacement
of trafficking activity to other parts of the U.K. Child
trafficking seemed to be concentrated in localities
with existing histories of “serious organised crime”,
such as Nottingham.
Despite official concern and diligent efforts to
address the problem, the treatment afforded to trafficked
children and the shame they feel have impeded
panied or separated children being trafficked into
and through the U.K. is significant and that the trafficking
operations are diverse and sophisticated. The
Asylum Seekers and Reception Team in Nottingham
City Council’s Social Services Department believes
it has worked with around 50 children brought to
the U.K. for exploitation. 34 The police in Nottingham
have also found five African children between
the ages of 14 and 18 (four girls and one boy) who
appear to have been trafficked in for prostitution
and have involved Interpol to launch an international
enquiry. 35 Lawyers in Newcastle 36 have noticed an
increasing number of Nigerian and other West
African girls arriving there and suspect that some
at least of them had been trafficked. Newcastle’s
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