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, Anti-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 sensitize 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 others 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 will 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 as well as 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.
  

Project Activities:

Our activities provide various forms of assistance to children and young people (12-21 years) who have been abused through trafficking. In addition to working directly with the victims, the project works with members of the African community and community leaders in awareness raising and sensitization activities.

Protection and Provisions of Assistance to children and young people victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation and domestic servitude. The project provides:

• 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.

Prevention through community education and empowerment. Community led activities are an important prevention tool in action against human trafficking. No progress can be made against this horrific crime without the direct involvement of the African community in the identification and implementation measures against it. The project provides training and seminars in understanding and addressing child trafficking.

Participation of children and young in decision affecting their lives. This project will develop and establish a survivor’s forum to enable young people to provide each other with friendship and mutual support and assistance. In addition to peer support, the forum will actively guide this project.

Campaigning
AFRUCA plays a leadership role in addressing the trafficking of African children to the UK. We work in partnership with others to highlight the issue and influence government policy through knowledge gained from working in the community. We have also established an online Campaign on FACEBOOK: 1 Million Africans Against Human Trafficking to help raise awareness of the issue among Africans. Click to sign up: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=314714899242&ref=ts

What have we achieved?

With very limited resources and our commitment to improving and promoting the rights and welfare of African children through education in the UK and in other countries, since our inception in 2001, we have been able to:

• 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.
  
• AFRUCA's 2004 National Conference 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 program. Click to Read the Conference Conclusions.
  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.
  In 2006, in partnership with ECPAT UK, AFRUCA received funding from Comic Relief to develop and run training programs for practitioners across the UK on Child Trafficking. The program has enabled ECPAT UK and AFRUCA to help develop the skills and competencies of relevant staff in working with child victims of trafficking.
  
• 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.
  
• From April 2009, with funding from Comic Relief, we were able to provide direct support and assistance to young victims. Our project helps to meet the needs of at least 20 young people each year and over the next three years. Since this date we have achieved the following:
  We have been able to hold individual counseling sessions for survivors of human trafficking.
  
• Due to strong emphasis on community awareness we have been able to reach out and sensitize many members of the African community through different awareness raising events and other activities.
  We have been able to provide workshops and services in French which has allowed us access to the French-speaking Congolese communities of London who, on account of their only recent migration to the UK, do not have sufficient English to access services and information.
  
• Our survivor’s forum has helped 8 survivors gain the courage to break away from their isolation and make new friends.
  The project has enabled young people to gain access to emotional, practical and legal support when necessary. One female survivor was able to obtain full-time education and health services while her case was pending.
  
• We are launching a new ‘Theatre of Development’ project for survivors which will aim to further build their confidence and development the positive effects of drama and acting.
  
• The project has succeeded in providing a platform for policy makers and community members to discuss the best ways to protect child victims of trafficking. This led to our landmark community event at the House of Commons in February 2010 which has helped to initiate on-going dialogue between stakeholders.
  
• AFRUCA has launched a ‘1 Million Africans Against Human Trafficking’ campaign on Facebook to raise awareness and encourage Africans to take a stand against traffickers. Click to sign up: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=314714899242&ref=ts
  
• AFRUCA is being established in Nigeria to tackle the problem of trafficking at its source. The newly established branch in Nigeria will work to help combat the factors that lead to child trafficking.
  

Last Updated June 2010

For further information about our training programme, click here.