Thousands of children affected by modern slavery are being failed by the system.

There are at least 5,000 children of modern slavery victims in the UK and the majority are not getting the support they need, with many more potentially lost in the system. That’s according to a new report by the crisis charity Hestia.

The charity, which supports over 2,200 adult victims of modern slavery and 1,200 dependent children each year, says that children who were with their parents while they were exploited, or born as a result of exploitation, are not being recognised and often experience profound trauma.

In its report, ‘Forgotten Children’ Hestia have estimated 5,000 children are being affected but warns the actual figure could be much higher. The report, which examines the experiences of mothers and children supported by Hestia, found that a mother’s trauma can have a deep and long-lasting impact on a child’s life, even leading to developmental delays and poor mental health.

Hestia is calling on the government to amend the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and enable children of modern slavery victims to be recognised as victims in their own right alongside introducing a new system of Children and Family Advocates to focus on the needs of the child.

Over the last decade modern slavery in the UK has been on the rise and it is estimated that there are as many as 100,000 victims. Women make up about a third of all victims of modern slavery in the UK, with many commonly forced into sexual exploitation and domestic servitude.

As well as recognising children as victims in law, Hestia is calling for training for health professionals, teachers and social workers, to improve their understanding of how modern slavery can impact a mother and child.

Underground Lives: Forgotten Children- the Intergenerational Impact of Modern Slavery - Hestia, 2021 DOWNLOAD

post

page

attachment

revision

nav_menu_item

custom_css

customize_changeset

oembed_cache

user_request

wp_block

acf-field-group

acf-field

ai1ec_event

National Hotline 2017 New York State Report
Graphics & InfographicsPublications

The data in this report represents signals and cases from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017 and is accurate as of July 11, 2018. Cases of trafficking may be ongoing or new information may be revealed to the National Hotline over time. Conseq...Read More

National Hotline 2019 Vermont State Report
Graphics & InfographicsPublications

The data in this report represents signals and cases from January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019 and is accurate as of July 30, 2020. Cases of trafficking may be ongoing or new information may revealed to the National Hotline over time. Consequen...Read More

The Public Health Impact of Coronavirus Disease on Human Trafficking
COVID-19 resourcesPublications

Written by Jordan Greenbaum, Hanni Stoklosa, and Laura Murphy. The global pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus exacerbates major risk factors for global human trafficking. Social isolation of families and severe economic dis...Read More

Challenges of recognition of the status of human trafficking victim in the Republic of Serbia
Guidance

Trafficking in human beings is a global phenomenon encountered with by almost all countries in the world – either as countries of origin, transit, or final destination for the victims. Due to the complexity of the very phenomenon, numerous United ...Read More