Report: How Language and Definitions Are Impacting Responses to Modern Slavery

A new report from ECPAT UK (every child protected against trafficking) co-commissioned by the UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) at the University of Oxford reveals significant issues with the UK’s approach to child trafficking and exploitation terminology leaving many children formally unrecognised.

In 2024 alone, over half (61%) of all child referrals into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) were refused as a result of not meeting the definition of a ‘modern slavery’ (slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour or human trafficking) victim. These figures starkly illustrate how the choice of definition directly shapes a child’s access to formal identification.

This report, explores how child trafficking and exploitation is currently defined and understood across the UK and how inconsistencies in the definition of child trafficking across legal, policy, and practice frameworks in the United Kingdom affect the identification and protection of children.

CLICK HERE TO READ the full report.

CLICK HERE TO READ the Executive Summary.