Article,
Understanding the ‘vulnerabilities’, ‘resilience’ and processes of the trafficking of children and young people into, within and out of the UK
Youth and Policy, 104 (June): 97--118 (2010)
Abstract
Awareness about the trafficking of children and young people into, within and out of the UK has grown over the past decade. This article draws upon qualitative research into agency responses to the trafficking of children and young people (Pearce, Hynes and Bovarnick, 2009). It highlights issues within refugee and forced migration studies applicable to debates on trafficking, in particular exploring the concepts of ‘vulnerability’ and ‘resilience’. It suggests that trafficking is a process rather than a one-off ‘event’; that during this process there are global points of ‘vulnerability’ for children and young people; and that understanding the environmental background of the individual child and the human rights context within countries of origin are essential elements in the identification of trafficked children. It suggests that between these global points of ‘vulnerability’ there may be spaces where those with a duty to care for trafficked children and young people can provide services that build on the resilience, coping strategies, survival techniques and hopes of trafficked children.
