Trafficked Young People Breaking the wall of silence J J. P ENNY EARCE P H ATRICIA YNES S B ILVIE OVARNICK A S S D O L E S C E N C E A N D O C I E T Y E R I E S Trafficked Young People Human trafficking constitutes one of the most serious human rights violations of our time. However, many social work practitioners still have a poor and incom- plete understanding of the experiences of children and young people who have been trafficked. In Trafficked Young People, the authors call for a more sophisticated, informed and better-developed understanding of the range of issues facing trafficked young people. In the first work of its kind to combine an up-to-date overview of the current pol- icy context with related theoretical concerns and practitioner experiences, Pearce, Hynes and Bovarnick demonstrate how the trafficking of children and young peo- ple should be regarded as a child protection, rather than an immigration concern. Drawing on focus group and interview research with 72 practitioners and covering the cases of 37 individuals, Trafficked Young People explores the way child care practitioners identify, understand and work with the problems faced by people who have been trafficked. The book looks at how practitioners interpret and use defini- tions of trafficking in their day-to-day work, at their experiences of exposing the needs of trafficked children and young people, and at their efforts to find appropriate resources to meet these needs. Trafficked Young People will be of interest to practitioners working with children in social work, youth justice, education and health contexts. With its emphasis on the legal and policy framework, and integrated throughout with case histories, prac- titioner interviews and recommendations for best practice, Trafficked Young People is essential reading for anyone working within a social policy development context. Jenny J. Pearce is the Director of the Institute of Applied Social Research, and the International Centre for the Study of Sexually Exploited and Trafficked Young People, both at the University of Bedfordshire, UK. Her research interests focus particularly on young people, sexual exploitation, child protection and domestic violence, and on access- ing young people’s accounts of their experiences of child sexual exploitation. Patricia Hynes is a Principal Lecturer in the Department of Applied Social Studies at the University of Bedfordshire, UK. Her research interests include the sociology of human rights and forced migration in all its forms, including trafficking, refugees and issues around asylum. She has conducted research internationally on internally displaced persons, refugees, trafficking and asylum policy. Silvie Bovarnick is a freelance researcher. She has previously worked for the NSPCC and the Department of Health on research programmes addressing differ- ent areas of violence and abuse. Her academic interests include the discursive con- struction of human rights and violence, specifically covering children’s rights and women’s rights. She has recently conducted research on child trafficking and child neglect. Adolescence and Society Series Editor: John C. Coleman Department of Education, University of Oxford In the 20 years since it began, this series has published some of the key texts in the field of adolescent studies. The series has covered a very wide range of subjects, almost all of them being of central concern to students, research- ers and practitioners. A mark of its success is that a number of books have gone to second and third editions, illustrating its popularity and reputation. The primary aim of the series is to make accessible to the widest possi- ble readership important and topical evidence relating to adolescent devel- opment. Much of this material is published in relatively inaccessible pro- fessional journals, and the objective of the books has been to summarise, review and place in context current work in the field, so as to interest and engage both an undergraduate and a professional audience. The intention of the authors is to raise the profile of adolescent studies among professionals and in institutions of higher education. By publishing relatively short, readable books on topics of current interest to do with youth and society, the series makes people more aware of the relevance of the subject of adolescence to a wide range of social concerns. The books do not put forward any one theoretical viewpoint. The authors outline the most prominent theories in the field and include a balanced and critical assessment of each of these. Whilst some of the books may have a clinical or applied slant, the majority concentrate on normal development. The readership rests primarily in two major areas: the undergraduate mar- ket, particularly in the fields of psychology, sociology and education; and the professional training market, with particular emphasis on social work, clinical and educational psychology, counselling, youth work, nursing and teacher training. Also in this series: Illegal Leisure Revisited Judith Aldridge, Fiona Measham and Lisa Williams The Nature of Adolescence, 4th Edition John C. Coleman Wired Youth Gustavo Mesch and Ilan Talmud Moving Out, Moving On Shelley Mallett, Doreen Rosenthal, Deb Keys and Roger Averill Adolescent Coping Erica Frydenberg Social Networks in Youth and Adolescence John Cotterell Growing Up with Unemployment Anthony H. Winefield Sexuality in Adolescence Susan M. Moore and Doreen A. Rosenthal Identity in Adolescence Jane Kroger Young People’s Leisure and Lifestyles Anthony Glendenning, Leo Hendry, John Love and Janet Shucksmith Illegal Leisure Judith Aldridge, Fiona Measham and Howard Parker Personality Development in Adolescence Eva Skoe and Anna von der Lippe Smoking in Adolescence Barbara Lloyd, and Kevin Lucas Young People’s Involvement in Sport John Kremer, Shaun Ogle and Karen Trew Youth, AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Anne Mitchell, Susan Moore and Doreen Rosenthal Adolescent Health Patrick Heave Teenagers and Technology Chris Davies and Rebecca Eynon Trafficked Young People Breaking the wall of silence Jenny J. Pearce, Patricia Hynes and Silvie Bovarnick First published 2013 by Routledge 27 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2FA Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2013 Psychology Press The right of Jenny J. Pearce, Patricia Hynes and Silvie Bovarnick to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Pearce, Jenny J. Trafficked young people : breaking the wall of silence / Jenny Pearce, Patricia Hynes & Silvie Bovarnick. p. cm. 1. Child trafficking—Great Britain. 2. Child abuse—Great Britain. 3. Abused children—Services for—Great Britain. I. Hynes, Patricia. II. Bovarnick, Silvie. III. Title HQ281.P425 2012 362.760941—dc23 2012026376 ISBN: 978–0–415–61751–2 (hbk) ISBN: 978–0–415–61754–3 (pbk) ISBN: 978–0–203–07494–7 (ebk) Typeset in Times New Roman by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon Contents Acknowledgements viii 1 Introduction 1 2 The policy context: what is known about child trafficking in the UK 17 3 Researching practitioners’ responses to trafficked young people: methods, ethics and governance 40 4 Trafficking as a process, not a one-off event 53 5 The wall of silence 76 6 Universal services for trafficked young people 95 7 Specialist services: securing safety at the point of arrival 120 8 Specialist interpreters and mental health providers 138 9 Conclusions 158 Appendix of tables 167 Bibliography 171 Index 180 Acknowledgements We would like to thank the University of Bedfordshire and The Children’s Charity and the NSPCC for their financial support to enable the research informing this book to take place. Professor Susanne MacGregor was chair of the research advisory group and in that role provided a professional, objective, informed and stimulating lead to the work. Her support was, and always has been, invaluable. Nadine Finch provided guidance and exper- tise on the legislative context to the work as it was taking place and as we continued to write. We are extremely grateful to her. The NSPCC’s Child Trafficking Advice and Information Line(CTAIL) project, ECPAT UK(End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sex- ual Purposes UK) and the Refugee Council all provided expert advice on particular aspects of the trafficking of young people. Their work continues to raise awareness about and guide current initiatives to challenge trafficking and to support trafficked young people. The research project that provided data for this work and the continuing development of initiatives from it have been administered and organised by Cara Senouni. Her professional, calm and efficient ways of ensuring smooth project management have impressed everyone who ever comes into contact with her. Mandy John Baptiste and her colleagues at the NSPCC CTAIL provided an essential reference point for consultation on current policy and practice pertaining to the trafficking of young people. The CTAIL Young People’s Advisory Group provided invaluable support by commenting on draft case study templates and advising on the content and delivery of the research. Their bravery in managing their own circumstances while providing consid- ered support to the research was exemplary. We would also like to thank the practitioners, agencies and local authori- ties that participated in our research for giving their time and sharing their expertise. Their insight into the realities of working with trafficked children made this project possible and meaningful. Acknowledgements ix In particular we would like to thank our families and friends for sup- porting us while we completed this research, and then throughout the proc- ess of writing the book. Mark Powell and Robbie Oates, Anne Marie and Rosie Burr, and Aaron Bovarnick have given time and support throughout. Finally, we thank the Series Editor, John Coleman, for essential advice and guidance and for supporting and encouraging us to ensure that this book came to fruition.