In the United Kingdom, 85% of all people who go missing because of modern slavery are teenagers (individuals between the ages 12 and 17) and 81% of all people who go missing because of trafficking are also teenagers, according to data provided by the United Kingdom Missing Persons Unit (UKMPU).
The UK government defines modern slavery as “the recruitment, movement, harbouring or receiving of children, women or men through the use of force, coercion, abuse of vulnerability, deception or other means for the purpose of exploitation”.
According to UKMPU data, 106 people went missing due to trafficking of which 88 were teenagers, and 66 people went missing due to modern slavery of which 56 were teenagers.
The non-profit Anti-Slavery International believes that children, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds, are particularly vulnerable to slavery as “they can be more easily manipulated or tricked than adults. They are easily controlled and unlikely to demand higher wages or better working conditions. Some are far away from their families, while others have no one to look out for them, or no wider support network to recognise the signs that they are being exploited.”
The problem of individuals, especially teenagers, being trafficked and enslaved is huge at any rate, but it becomes bigger when individuals go missing because they were trafficked or enslaved.
The controversial Nationality and Borders Bill that was passed in late April and is now set to become law, as proposed by the Tory government, sought to deter illegal entry into the UK. However, it has been consistently criticised by human rights groups including the United Nations for penalising “most refugees seeking asylum in the country, creating an asylum model that undermines established international refugee protection rules and practices.”
Part 5 of the bill (‘Modern Slavery’) is of particular concern as it would affect all child victims, making them more vulnerable to modern slavery and trafficking. In fact, according to UKMPU data, 93% of all people who go missing because of migration-related issues such as asylum seekers or unaccompanied juveniles are indeed teenagers.
Incidentally, data from the Home Office revealed that in 2021 more children than ever before were identified as potential victims of trafficking, and this number is expected to rise. This could possibly mean that many of them who get trafficked will be reported missing.
Examples of modern slavery and trafficking among teenagers are aplenty. In as recent as February, four people were convicted of modern slavery and fraud for recruiting, training and trafficking teenage girls to commit fraud in stores using fake receipts. Many of the girls suffered from mental health issues. As has also been widely reported over the years, young, vulnerable people from Vietnam were being trafficked into the UK as slaves in cannabis production, forced prostitution and in nail bars.
With the current Russia-Ukraine crisis prompting new visa schemes for Ukrainians, there is now a fear and heightened risk that those Ukrainian refugees will become particularly vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation, according to a report by experts at University College London for the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Dame Sara Thornton.
So what can be done to prevent and solve modern slavery and trafficking among teens in the UK? The National Crime Agency, through its Modern Slavery Human Trafficking Unit (MSHTU) “pursue(s) offenders, safeguard victims and to prevent vulnerable people in source countries from becoming victims.”
Raising awareness and educating potential victims about risks and how to avoid becoming a victim as well as what they should do if they are being exploited is something the MSHTU is already doing. However, the possibility of victims of modern slavery is likely to rise in the coming years where initiatives like disrupting traffickers and collaborating with police forces and law enforcement agencies will become more crucial.