Africans Unite Against Child Abuse

AFRUCA's Work in the UK

Trafficking of African Children and Young People in London and the South East

Project Location: London and the South East
Project Contact: Cherifa Atoussi, Child Trafficking Officer
Project Funders: Comic Relief

AFRUCA is the ONLY African-led charity in the UK working on counter trafficking issues and providing direct support to victims. Our work on trafficking imbibes a holistic approach, working closely with others to sensitise the community – both in the UK, other countries in Europe and in Africa, support child victims of trafficking and influence relevant governments’ policies and regulatory action.

Project Background:

• AFRUCA’s response to the issue of child trafficking is premised on the fact that the trafficking of children is first and foremost a child safeguarding, child protection issue, rather than an immigration issue. For this reason, we are firmly of the opinion that efforts to tackle the trafficking of children and provide support for individual victims must abide by and correlate with UK child protection laws, regulation, rules and practices.
• Over the past years, there has been a consistent growth in the number of separated African children arriving in the UK correlating with the increasing population of Africans in the country. Children and young people come in unaccompanied, or as unaccompanied asylum seeking young people or with other who are not their parents or immediate family members as privately fostered children. It is our firm belief that a significant proportion of such young people are victims of trafficking and that without appropriate intervention, most of them would end up as victims of abuse and exploitation at the hand of their carers and other people.
• During Christmas of 2006, AFRUCA ran a media campaign on child trafficking on 3 African TV Satellite stations with a total viewing audience of over 3 million people – mostly in London. As a direct result, between January and July 2007 over 20 young victims who had been able to escape their ordeals contacted AFRUCA for help. This Project has been developed as a direct result of our experiences in providing support, and the input of these survivors.
• Feedback from our 2006 Body Shop Foundation funded workshops identified the ongoing importance of continued awareness raising within different African community and faith groups to challenge and change attitudes.

• Direct assistance to victims in accessing immediate protection, and access to health and social care services. Victims of trafficking are entitled to be treated with dignity, fairness compassion, and respect for their human rights.
• Direct assistance in accessing specialist legal advice to regularize their status in the UK.
• One to one therapeutic support to enable victims and survivors begin the process of healing from the severe psychological trauma experienced as a result of their exploitation (sometimes long term) and abuse.

• Provide support for over 150 child victims of trafficking either directly or indirectly via signposting to other sources of help and support.
• In July 2007, we held a two day international conference: Trafficking of African Children to the UK: Addressing the Demand and Supply Nexus. This conference brought together many international experts to discuss the issue of child trafficking. A key conclusion was the link made between witchcraft branding and the trafficking of children in Africa.
• In March 2007, we held a workshop at the African Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect in Kampala, Uganda. This enabled us to intimate conference delegates with ongoing issues around the trafficking of East African children to Europe.
• In 2006, n partnership with ECPAT UK, AFRUCA received funding from Comic Relief to develop and run training programmes for practitioners across the UK on Child Trafficking. The programme has enable ECPAT UK and AFRUCA to help develop the skills and competencies of relevant staff in working with child victims of trafficking.
• In 2006, AFRUCA launched a media campaign against child trafficking through the production and screening of a video on the subject on key African sattelite TV stations-BEN TV and OBE TV over Christmas. Both TV stations have a total viewing audience of over 4 million people.
• In 2006, AFRUCA received funding from the Home Office to hold a series of consultative meetings/focus groups with members of the African community across London. The meetings enabled us to gather the views of the African community across the capital about prevention, identification, protection and rehabilitation of victims.
• In 2006 AFRUCA received funding from the Body Shop Foundation to run an advocacy and awareness raising campaign on child trafficking in London. The project enabled us to further reach members of different African communities to raise the issues around child exploitation and how to safeguard vulnerable children
• In 2005 AFRUCA received funding from the Body Shop Foundation to develop multi-lateral co-operations in combating the trafficking of children among African community groups across Europe and specifically in Switzerland, Belgium and Ireland.
• AFRUCA's 2004 National Conference was focused on the Role of the African Community in the UK in Combating Child Trafficking. Over 200 members of the African community, practitioners and policymakers attended the programme. Click to Read the Conference Conclusions.
• In October 2003, as part of our "Denouncing the "Better Life" Syndrome" Campaign, we held a series of media campaigns and a conference in Lagos, Nigeria, to raise awareness among NGO colleagues, the media and other stakeholders about the high number of Nigerian children trafficked to the UK.
• From April 2009, with funding from Comic Relief, we are now in a much better position to provide direct support and assistance to young victims. Our project will help to meet the needs of at least 20 young people each year over the next three years