When a child is removed from trafficking, there is good reason to celebrate. The exploitation has stopped. Those responsible can be held accountable. The child can begin to rebuild their life.
But their protection must continue through what comes next.
During my recent visit to Thailand, our Modern Slavery partner, LIFT, shared more about its work to ensure children are protected as their cases move through the justice system. Ruby’s experience shows how urgently this is needed.
Ruby was under 13 when a family member forced her into sexual exploitation. In late 2024, Thai police asked LIFT to support an investigation. LIFT helped police find Ruby and gather evidence against those involved in her sexual exploitation. Together, they traced digital evidence, found Ruby and removed her from harm.
The people pictured are actors. This image illustrates the issue of child trafficking.
LIFT’s legal team is now supporting proceedings involving more than 40 men alleged to have exploited her. The team expects this process to take years and are committed to supporting Ruby through this journey and seeking protections against further trauma.
In the beginning, Ruby had shown incredible strength throughout months of legal proceedings, but LIFT described how a recent hearing left her feeling unheard due to several factors, causing her severe distress afterwards. LIFT’s legal and social work teams came together to urgently seek better protections for her remaining cases. For a child who has already experienced significant harm, the pursuit of justice can bring further trauma. We need to take this seriously and ensure that a justice process is child-friendly. Justice must hold offenders accountable while protecting the people they have harmed.
What does a child-friendly approach mean?
A child-friendly approach puts children’s rights, needs and wellbeing at the centre of the justice process. Children need to understand what is happening and have the support to participate. Their views must be heard and taken seriously. An approach like this should shape how proceedings are explained, how questions are asked and how children give evidence. It should include measures to reduce distress and avoid making a child unnecessarily recount traumatic experiences.
The people pictured are actors. This image illustrates the issue of child trafficking.
Advocating for lasting change
LIFT is working to secure these protections for Ruby. It also wants a child-friendly approach embedded more widely in Thailand’s justice system. This is an important connection between supporting individual survivors and advocating for change. Working alongside Ruby gives LIFT direct insight into where the process is causing harm. That experience can help inform changes that protect other children who come through the same system.
To address these immediate challenges, LIFT convened an urgent Provincial Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) meeting, bringing together local police, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS), forensic psychologists, and NGO partners. The coalition agreed on concrete steps to protect Ruby from further trauma and submitted a formal report to both the Court and the Provincial Child Protection Committee. By addressing procedural triggers in her ongoing cases, LIFT and its MDT partners are safeguarding Ruby’s well-being while driving long-term, child-friendly reforms across Thailand’s justice system.
A child can never consent to exploitation, and a legal verdict alone is not true justice. Without trauma protection and rightful compensation, justice for a survivor remains incomplete. —LIFT Legal Team
For those supporting Tearfund’s work against modern slavery, this is part of what lasting change requires. Investigations and arrests are significant milestones. The work continues as survivors navigate court proceedings and organisations like LIFT advocate for their protection. Changing the way a justice system responds to children takes time and sustained commitment. Meanwhile, Ruby and other children need protection in the cases they are facing now.
Driven by our commitment to an equal and accessible justice system for all, regardless of age or background, LIFT is currently collaborating with an international working group to develop a “Child-Friendly Court Preparation” guide, translating complex legal procedures into simple, accessible language for young survivors.
LIFT’s commitment to this work gives us reason for hope. Its team is bringing legal expertise and social work support together to respond to the harm Ruby has experienced and press for better protection. This work deserves our continued support. Children who have survived trafficking should be able to pursue justice in a system that listens to them, protects their dignity and supports their recovery.
The people pictured are actors. This image illustrates the issue of child trafficking.
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