Commenting on the UK Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s Annual Report, Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, said:
“On the rare occasions that children and young people are trafficked into England they suffer horrendous exploitation which can leave deep scars on their lives – whether they are sexually exploited, forced to work on cannabis farms or endure other forms of debt bondage. We know from experience in Calais that traffickers will prey on the desperation of children and young people fleeing war and persecution, and others on the move across Europe who seek safety and a better life.
“These appalling crimes need to remain in the spotlight and the top of the political agenda so that trafficking is eradicated and consigned to the past.”