Right now child trafficking survivors are being placed in hotels by local authorities instead of safe and supportive accommodation. Often this means that they are denied basic needs which all children should have, places to play, freedom to explore their surroundings. It also means that they are being denied the support and care which most of us would take for granted for children.
We know that local authorities face pressure, but there is never any excuse for denying children the right to be children. We urgently need your help to help us protect child trafficking survivors and ensure that they can get access to the support they need.. We need your help to ensure that they can get the chance to be children again and actually enjoy themselves. There’s no excuse for using hotels, even on a temporary basis. There are measures in place for local authorities, particularly with children suspected of being trafficked, which are geared towards immediate action with rapid responses. Those measures can’t be side-lined or ignored for refugee and asylum seeker children, yet that is what is happening right now.
We want children to be happy, to have hope for the future. It’s not a lot to ask, but it means the world to those who don’t have them. Children are always children first, and we need your help to ensure that they get to be children.
A home isn’t just a place you stay. It is where you feel safe. Where there is someone you can talk to and trust. It’s a place where you can be yourself.
Your support will contribute to:
Support and care for child trafficking survivors, their carers and wider partners, including 24/7 Emergency “on call” facilities for young people.
Raising awareness of the issues surrounding child-trafficking to combat it from the very start, and drawing attention to what the Government is doing that puts children at risk.