Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children under (1) 12 years of age, and (2) 10 years of age, were identified as potentially trafficked through the National Referral Mechanism in each year between 2010 and 2015.

The Government views the slavery, including trafficking, of children as a very serious offence, and one which it is committed to tackling. The NRM is the UK’s identification and support mechanism for potential victims of modern slavery. The table below shows:

a) the number children under the age of 16 that were referred to the NRM as potentially trafficked in each year between 2010 and 2015:

b) the number children under 12 years of age that were referred to the NRM as potentially trafficked in each year between 2010 and 2015;

c) the number children under 10 years of age that were referred to the NRM as potentially trafficked in each year between 2010 and 2015.

The table below provides the breakdown of the countries of origin of the 365 children who were identified as potentially trafficked via an NRM referral in the year 2015.