Since 2015, only 45 people have been referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) in Northern Ireland as potential child victims of modern slavery that occurred in the UK, with only three referrals in 2023. There has also never been a UK or Irish boy under 18 referred to the NRM for criminal exploitation at all in Northern Ireland, compared with 11,902 children identified for criminal exploitation across the rest of the UK (England, Scotland and Wales) - nearly a quarter of all child referrals across the rest of the UK since 2015.
The extraordinarily low number of potential victims of child criminal exploitation (CCE) and wider forms of modern slavery in Northern Ireland is particularly notable given the legacy of the past and continued presence of paramilitarism in Northern Ireland. Exploitation of young people by paramilitaries and organised crime groups in Northern Ireland has received attention from state and non-state actors.
A research project jointly led by the Ulster University and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the UK, is examining why the framing of modern slavery and human trafficking is almost absent in Northern Ireland’s response to child criminal exploitation and how it impacts the identification and protection of affected children.
Within the project, the research team is analysing the applicable international and domestic legal frameworks, and exploring the practical impact of these frameworks on the identification of CCE as modern slavery or human trafficking. It is also examining the current early intervention and identification mechanisms, as well as how first responder organisations (those with responsibility to refer to the NRM) and others perceive, recognise and identify children affected by human trafficking in Northern Ireland, specifically in the context of paramilitarism.
The research includes a legal analysis and literature review of existing norms and evidence in relation to child criminal exploitation and a comparative review of identification procedures in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Alongside this, the team have designed a survey and is carrying out in-depth interviews with key first responder organisations in Northern Ireland and stakeholders working on child criminal exploitation such as youth workers, social workers and youth organisations working to address paramilitarism or peacebuilding.
Project team: Andrew Chisholm (IOM UK), and Dr Gillian Kane (Ulster University)
The project is co-funded by the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre and Northern Ireland Department of Justice.
