Afruca Expresses Concern Over the Trafficking of African Children to the UK for Domestic Work

AFRUCA - Africans Unite Against Child Abuse has raised concern over the increase in the number of African children being trafficked to the UK for domestic work.

While there is no real scientific proof or collated statistics about the number of children being brought in, growing anecdotal evidence reaching us from concerned Africans in the country suggests that increasingly African children are being brought into the UK as sources of cheap labour to work in the home and look after children.

Children being brought into the country work mainly for professional african families who go out to work and need access to childcare. Children are brought in either by individuals or syndicates using false travel documents, or are put on other people's travel documents as those people's children. They work long hours, are hardly ever remunerated adequately and are denied the chances of going to school. They are also prone to emotional, mental and physical abuse.

The trafficking of African children to the UK for domestic work has resonance with trafficking for domestic work within and across the different countries in Africa. It has also been overshadowed by the focus on trafficking to Europe for sex work.

AFRUCA has raised the issue of trafficking of african children to the UK for domestic work on a number of occasions. On Friday 19 July 2002, AFRUCA took part in a BBC Radio 4 programme on this particular subject.

AFRUCA is embarking on an advocacy and action research project to help develop a better understanding of the issue, and raise awareness amongst African Communities and government agencies in the UK and back home of the plight of African child domestics in the country.

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Note to Editors

AFRUCA - Africans Unite Against Child Abuse is a organisation concerned about cruelty against the African child. Our aim is to promote the welfare of African children worldwide.

Contact for further details:
Modupe Debbie Ariyo - Director

Tel: +44(0)20 7704 2261
Fax: +44(0)20 7704 2266
Post: AFRUCA, Unit 4S Leroy House, 436 Essex Road, London N1 3QP United Kingdom.

E-mail: info@AFRUCA.org

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