Increasing numbers of children being used by drug gangs have driven up the UK’s latest modern slavery figures.
A total of 722 children—mostly boys—were referred to the government’s system of identifying victims of modern slavery— the National Referral Mechanism (NRM)—between July and September.
This is compared to just over 300 adults who were flagged as victims of criminal exploitation.
The high number of children who have fallen into the hands of criminals has mostly been reported by local authority agencies, with a third identified as being involved in county lines criminality.
County lines—a term used to describe drug gangs in large cities expanding their reach to small towns—exploit vulnerable individuals for criminal activity including transporting dangerous substances.
There were over 200 children referred to the NRM under suspicion of being county lines victims, accounting for 5 percent of all modern slavery referrals received for both adults and children in the last quarter.
Small Boats
In total, there were over 4,100 potential victims of modern slavery referred to the Home Office, a 4 percent increase compared to the previous quarter.However, the total numbers have decreased from July to September 2022, when 4,579 individuals were reported by authorities.
Safeguarding minister Sarah Dines faced scathing criticism from the Home Affairs Select Committee in July after revealing stakeholders involved in the government’s new modern slavery forums have failed to sit around a table.
The groups—made up of representatives from various charities and safeguarding organisations—were due to replace previous modern slavery stakeholder forums in April.
The move was in direct response to escalating figures of potential trafficking victims after the UK recorded its highest-ever number of those referred to the authorities last year.
In 2022, 16,938 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the Home Office—the highest annual number since the government’s anti-slavery system was established.
The small boats crisis has contributed to the high figures, with experts previously telling the government that an increasing number of Albanian immigrants—including children—are coming to the attention of first responders.
Albanian Traffickers
Speaking to the committee in June, human rights lawyer Danny Bayraktarova said she is increasingly representing Albanian children trafficked into the UK for crime purposes.Albanian teenagers make up a large proportion of Ms. Bayraktarova’s caseload, she said, with many being criminally exploited by “highly organised” international people-smuggling gangs.
The solicitor told MPs that the grip of the trafficking gangsters is so tight—they are easily able to threaten and intimidate their families back home in Albania if they refuse to cooperate.
She told MPs that many of the Albanian children trafficked to the UK who end up being criminally exploited had been snared by gangs through social media.
The Home Affairs Select Committee is currently carrying out an inquiry into the NRM system, questioning experts on whether it needs to be reformed.
It serves as a gateway to services for victims, including legal advice, safe house accommodation, and other forms of support.
Adults given a positive reasonable grounds decision can have access to support if they need it. Support for child victims of modern slavery and trafficking, except for the Independent Child Trafficking Guardians service and Scottish Guardianship Service, is provided by local authorities and partner agencies under existing statutory obligations.
Potential victims of modern slavery can only be referred to the NRM by First Responder Organisations, which includes charities and government bodies.
