"The numbers of trafficked children are on the rise." stressed Sarah Di Giglio, Senior Policy Officer on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery at the IOM.
According to ECPAT UK (Every Child Protected Against Trafficking) “Albanian and Vietnamese youngsters have been in the top three countries of origin for trafficked and exploited children for several years now.”
International Organization for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with UK’s children’s charity, Barnardo’s, and the London borough of Croydon’s Council have concluded recently a pilot project aiming at providing foster carers with the tools to spot the signs that children may be at risk of being trafficked in order to keep more children out of harm’s way.
The project consulted foster carers, experts working in the field and young people from Albania and Vietnam who had been in the UK care system, although all foster carers looking after unaccompanied minors could attend.
After the project concluded, foster carers reported a significant improvement in their knowledge of and confidence in dealing with Albanian, Vietnamese children and other unaccompanied minors. The project is an important step forward for the future of these children. But to note, that ECPAT found “the experiences many of the children underwent will stay with them forever.”