Government ‘not doing enough’ to help victims of child slavery

The scheme will be trialled for six months from April across a number of authorities in England including the West Midlands, Manchester and Oxfordshire. It is aimed at stopping gangs from further exploiting trafficked children by dragging them out of the care system after they have been identified by the authorities as victims.

Independent advocates with specialist training and expertise will act as a single point of contact throughout the care and immigration process and be responsible for promoting the child’s wellbeing.

Critics have called for the appointment of legal guardians who have powers akin to parents, including taking authorities to court if they fail to keep children safe.

Security Minister James Brokenshire said: “Child victims of slavery are an incredibly vulnerable group in need of specialist support but at the moment provision is patchy and inconsistent. We want to ensure there is a single, dedicated point of contact for each child from start to finish.

“We believe having a truly independent voice in the system, advocating for the child in the way that a parent could, will dramatically improve the prospects of these children and ensure they receive the help and protection they need and deserve.”

But shadow Home Office Minister Diana Johnson said: “The Government cannot and shouldn’t tackle modern slavery in a half-hearted way.

“Having trials of advocates does not go far enough to stop the re-trafficking of children from our own care system.

“As Labour have consistently called for since 2011, legal guardians are essential to stop trafficked children going missing again after they are supposed to be safe. It is to our shame that trafficked children go from the hands of the authorities back into the hands of the traffickers.”

Chloe Setter, head of advocacy, policy and campaigns for child trafficking at Ecpat UK, said the scheme was welcome but added: “Having an advocate is an improvement for victims in terms of support but it is our concern that an advocate can only go so far and has no actual authority in decisions taken about a child’s life.”

Later this year, a Modern Slavery Bill will be introduced to pull together into a single act the offences used to prosecute slave drivers. It will include Trafficking Prevention Orders restricting the activity and movement of convicted traffickers and a new Anti-Slavery Commissioner holding law enforcement and other agencies to account.