CARE welcomes the news that Peers from across all parties have voted to introduce child trafficking guardians this afternoon in an amendment to the Immigration Bill in the House of Lords.

Following pressure from a coalition of charities including CARE, Peers have voted by 282 to 184 to give greater protection to trafficked children who, once rescued, often find themselves at risk of further abuse and the horror of being re-trafficked.

Opposing the amendment, the Minister Lord Taylor of Holbeach focussed on advocate schemes which the Government will be trialling later this year. However, Peers were not convinced that those schemes would be sufficient and voted instead for child trafficking guardians with a legally recognised role, defeating the Government by nearly 100 votes.

CARE has played a leading role in campaigning for the introduction of specialist guardians for child victims of trafficking over recent years and has supported a number of amendments, most recently that of Lord McColl which was narrowly defeated by just 15 votes in December. Research has shown that the current system of care is not sufficient to provide trafficked children with the level of protection and support that they need. It is critical that each rescued child is provided with someone to stand up for their best interests and support them through the rehabilitation process.

Child trafficking guardians will work to support rescued child victims with their accommodation, legal advice, asylum applications, education and medical care, as well as other specialist rehabilitation services. The dedicated guardians will act as the single point of contact for the child removing the need for children to come into contact with multiple adults from different agencies and providing much-needed continuity for the child.

Welcoming the stand taken by Peers, Nola Leach, Chief Executive of CARE, said:

“Finally, some of the most vulnerable children in Britain will receive the advocacy support that they need thanks to today’s vote in the House of Lords. There has been a serious lack of understanding of the needs of trafficked children. They are victims of abuse and should receive the best support and care possible so that in safety they can recover fully from the trauma they have been through.”

“Too many children have gone missing from state care after being rescued and have tragically ended up back with the traffickers who exploited them in the first place. Ensuring child trafficking guardians are a legally recognised provision for the first time in England and Wales will make a real difference to the lives of these children and end this horrendous cycle of exploitation.”

Child Trafficking Guardians are recognised international best practice recommended by the UN and UNICEF and are required by international law in both the EU Anti-Trafficking Directive and the Council of Europe Convention on trafficking.

Nola Leach continued:

“We would like to warmly pay tribute to the incredible work of Lord McColl and Baroness Butler Sloss on this issue over many years. They both did an extraordinary job today providing a voice for trafficked children at the heart of Government. We would also like to particularly recognise the important role played in all this by Baroness Royall.”

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For further information please contact James Mildred on mob: 07581 153693 or email: james.mildred@care.org.uk

Notes to Editors

Amendment 55A to the Immigration Bill was proposed by Baroness Butler-Sloss, Lord McColl of Dulwich, Lord Carlile of Berriew and Baroness Royall of Blaisdon and passed by 282 to 184.

Lord McColl of Dulwich and the other co-signatories tabled a similar amendment to the Children and Families Bill debated on 9 December 2013. On that occasion the amendment was defeated 130 to 145, a margin of 15 votes.

CARE (Christian Action Research and Education) is a well-established mainstream Christian charity providing resources and helping to bring Christian insight and experience to matters of public policy and practical caring initiatives. CARE is represented in the UK Parliaments and Assemblies, at the EU in Brussels and the UN in Geneva and New York. CARE is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales at 53 Romney Street, London, SW1P 3RF, Company No: 3481417, Charity No: 1066963, Scottish Charity No: SC038911 Website: www.care.org.uk