Felixstowe International College

Trafficked and Exploited Children Policy

Policy

Felixstowe International College fully recognises its responsibilities for safeguarding and child protection with regard to trafficked and exploited students, especially as all our students are from overseas. FIC is committed to ensuring that all students who enrol at FIC are in fact in school and receiving their entitlement to education.

In 2000 Trafficking became enshrined in international law for the first time through the Palermo Protocol within the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. The Protocol defines trafficking as:

‘The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation shall be considered ‘trafficking in persons’ even if this does not involve any of the means set forth [elsewhere in the Palermo Protocol”

The two most common terms for the illegal movement of people – ‘trafficking’ and ‘smuggling’, are very different. In human smuggling immigrants and asylum seekers pay people to help them enter the country illegally; after which there is no longer a relationship. Trafficked victims are coerced or deceived by the person arranging their relocation. On arrival in the country of destination the trafficked child or person is denied their human rights and is forced into exploitation by the trafficker or person into whose control they are delivered.

The Palermo Protocol establishes children as a special case – any child transported for exploitative reasons is considered to be a trafficking victim – whether or not they have been deceived. This is partly because it is not considered possible for children to give informed consent. Even when a child understands what has happened they may still appear to submit willingly, to what they believe to be the will of their parents.

How does Trafficking Happen? Traffickers are known to recruit their victims using a variety of methods. Some children are subject to coercion, which could take the form of abduction or kidnapping. However, the majority of children are trapped by in subversive ways:

 Children are promised education or respectable work – as in restaurants, domestic servants etc

 Parents are persuaded that their children will have a better life elsewhere

Many children travel on false documents and for those who do not, the traffickers usually throw away their identification papers.

Trafficking can be for any reason, but particularly for:

  • sex work
  • domestic servitude
  • sweatshop or restaurant work
  • drug dealing and credit card fraud
  • begging or pickpocketing, benefit fraud
  • drug mules or decoys for adult drug traffickers
  • forced marriage
  • trade in human organs and in some cases
  • Ritual killings

Procedures:

The vast majority of our students are long-term students who come from families whose parents are missionaries and pastors. Staff are not complacent about the problem of trafficked children and will always look for the risk indicators that could point to children being abused in this way.

Although most of our students arrive unaccompanied, they are met by a member of staff and taken to our accommodation in Felixstowe. The transport is usually undertaken by a member of staff in his/her own car, or by transport operated by Classical Touch – all drivers having an advanced DBS certificate, all are ex-police officers and all have taken the Advanced Driving Test. The safety of all our students is paramount. If any student fails to turn up at the airport, then the ‘Missing Children Policy’ is put into place. Parents, Airline and the Border Force will be informed

During term time the students’ passports are secure in the safe at the school. Parents are aware that the students’ passports will be looked after in this way.

When leaving the UK, whether for holiday or permanently returning home, students are always accompanied to the airport, and seen through to Security. Younger students use the UM Service (unaccompanied minors) and are escorted to a representative of the airline. The staff member stays in the airport until the plane has taken off.

September 2017

For review September 2018