Children in NI exploited by paramilitaries not formally identified as victims of modern slavery

Children exploited in criminality in Northern Ireland are not recognised as victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, a landmark research study has found.

The study discovered that while child criminal exploitation (CCE) is widely recognised across the UK as a form of modern slavery with more than 11,000 children referred, no UK or Irish male child had ever been referred to the NRM for criminal exploitation in Northern Ireland.

The report notes that in Northern Ireland’s post-conflict setting, paramilitaries and organised criminal groups still exert significant control over some communities, perpetuating harm that happens within local communities, and even within families. This contributes to the fact that harm is often normalised and overlooked - even by those directly affected.

Nearly all research respondents – 98% – said they encountered cases of criminal exploitation in the context of drugs, whilst 79% noted the context of paramilitary activity, anti-social behaviour (70%), forced shoplifting (30%) and money laundering (26%).

Some research respondents expressed safety concerns about formally identifying children through the NRM, including fear of reprisals against children and those reporting exploitation, pointing to the need of adapting the NRM processes to the local context.

Other barriers include the fact that a legal duty to identify potential victims of modern slavery is not yet in force in Northern Ireland, and that there’s a focus on travel within the statutory definition of human trafficking, which doesn’t reflect the often hyperlocal nature of exploitation.

The study was led jointly by Ulster University and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the United Kingdom. Andrew Chisholm, Senior Project Associate and Northern Ireland Lead at IOM UK, says the research has uncovered stark gaps in the data.

“The absence of referrals to the NRM until the end of 2024 contrasts sharply with what frontline professionals are reporting and in comparison, with the rest of the UK. The evidence produced by this research, for the first time, has captured the extent of this issue in relation to modern slavery and human trafficking, which can now be used to design an effective policy and service response."

The research calls for urgent policy changes both for the UK and Northern Ireland governments that recognise the post-conflict context of Northern Ireland, alongside increased investment in frontline capacity and tailored referral processes.

Dr Gillian Kane, co-author of the report and Lecturer in Law at Ulster University said the research has shed light on some of the barriers to identifying modern slavery and human trafficking in the context of child criminal exploitation in Northern Ireland,

“Possible concrete actions to remove [these barriers] include ensuring a legal duty to identify in Northern Ireland’s human trafficking legislation, and amending the statutory definition of human trafficking to more accurately reflect international law.”