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. Until this year, 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 nearly 12 thousand children identified for criminal exploitation across the rest of the UK.
A research project conducted by Ulster University and the International Organization for Migration UK (IOM UK), and co-funded by the Northern Ireland Department of Justice and the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) at the University of Oxford, has found that children exploited in criminality in Northern Ireland have not been recognised as victims of modern slavery, despite indications that they may meet the criteria.
This podcast is a recording of the lunchtime seminar, at which the two lead researchers on this project, Dr Gillian Kane from Ulster University and Andrew Chisholm from IOM UK, presented the findings from their research and discussed ways forward for identification of children exploited in criminal activities in Northern Ireland.
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The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) works to transform the effectiveness of laws and policies designed to address modern slavery by funding and producing research on modern slavery with a focus on policy impact. We are part of the Humanities Division at the University of Oxford, and we’re funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
