In the Dock

this research was aware of potential trends relating to the movement of children for labour traffickingand many state that this is an area of concern that needs to be addressed urgently especially giventhe ease of movement between the North and South of the NI border. Concerns around the Romacommunity using children for on-street begging and benefit fraud were raised but very little data orexpertise exists on this and it is unknown whether the PSNI are currently investigating such cases.InvestigationPrior to 2011, senior social workers had named specialist contacts within the PSNI to direct theircall to a nominated specialist law enforcement officer if they were suspicious that a child may havebeen trafficked. Currently, they are required to call their local police station or local control roomanticipating that the law enforcement officer that takes the call will be able to advise themaccordingly. Senior experienced social workers interviewed were critical of the change and havesuggested that an important link has now been broken. Multi-agency participation is stated to havedisappeared with some social workers claiming that the police frequently do not attend meetingsaround the care and planning of identified trafficked children. 423 Although several participants statedthat there are some individual diligent officers who will go over and beyond their role to assist andrespond to urgent safety issues.Some participants stated that the interviewing of children, especially those who are extremelyvulnerable, would be more effective if the police allowed trained senior social workers to conduct thefirst interviews with potentially trafficked children. This would ensure that the interviews wereconducted sensitively and that best evidence was obtained, especially in cases where the officersconcerned had no previous experience. In addition, it was suggested that there should be certain"givens" accepted in legal processes to encourage the child to tell their story rather than bequestioned repeatedly throughout. One participant suggested that the lack of successful prosecutionsin child trafficking cases may be a direct result of the fact that children will take longer to tell theirstories and disclose what has happened.Internal traffickingIn October 2011, Barnardo's published Not a world away 424 focusing on the sexual exploitation ofchildren and young people in NI, particularly those in or missing from care. The report’s findingsindicate that sexual exploitation is a serious concern in NI. The vast majority of abusers are adultmales and young people between the ages of 12 and 15 are most at risk. While most of the keystakeholders interviewed were aware of the concept of internal trafficking, frontline staff who maycome into contact with such children appeared to lack knowledge on what to do if indicators arepresent; or victims are not believed and seen as more of a nuisance. If mental health issues areapparent it simply made the situation worse. 425 Many stated that as a result cases are simply beingmissed with the police relying heavily on the NGO sector to identify potential cases. The main reasonsput forward to explain this failure is the continued stereotyping of what a trafficked child looks like.One interviewed participant worryingly noted that because the police are so ineffective in this areaparents of exploited children may resort to the use of paramilitaries to take action against traffickers.Good practice – Barnardo’s & Willowfield Police StationA pilot project, exclusively funded by Barnardo's, involves the secondment of one of their specialistcaseworkers to Willowfield Police Station in East Belfast, to address some of the areas of concern423One senior social worker claimed that PSNI officers simply didn't turn up at pre-arranged care meetings involving trafficked children424Beckett, H., ‘Not a world away’ The sexual exploitation of children and young people in Northern Ireland (2011). Barnardo’s.Available at: www.barnardos.org.uk/13932_not_a_world_away_full_report.pdf.425A representative from NIGALA claims that in one situation a young victim was not believed and subsequently detained who hadmental health issues and a young child.127