‘Into the Arms of Traffickers’ is the launch of new research by Christine Beddoe, freelance consultant and former Director of ECPAT UK, with the collaboration of Garden Court Chambers, MiCLU and young people from Shpresa Programme.

The research examines the experiences and views of young Albanian asylum-seeking children in the UK as well as key professionals who work with them, and finds that the result of increasing Home Office delays is that highly vulnerable children and young adults are facing greater risk of exploitation and trafficking within the UK, specifically to labour exploitation and criminal exploitation. The system is in effect pushing children into the arms of traffickers. As a consequence, the UK government is failing in its legal obligations to protect the victims and potential victims of trafficking.

The research is part of a wider project: Breaking the Chains, a partnership project dedicated to improving outcomes for Albanian children and young people seeking asylum in the UK. You can register online on Eventbrite until 18 October.