We are really excited at the thought of ‘Brave’ being read in homes all over the world. The book includes discussion questions and follow up activities for children. We know that children often like to respond to a need, perhaps you could spend some time together doing one of the ‘Actions for Children’ activities suggested on our ‘Brave Academy Resources’ page.

We all have a responsibility to stop exploitation.  At ‘Brave Bear Trust’ we want to equip children and adults through our book, educational resources and training.  Here are some reasons and ideas about how you can play your part:

• Buy – We can make informed choices about how we spend our money to ensure people are employed fairly
• Responsibility – We all have a responsibility to treat everyone with value and worth, whatever our age.
• Assist – We can pass on any concerns we have to the appropriate authorities so they can provide the proper help.
• Value – All people have value and worth and should be treated equally
• Educate – We can understand the signs that might indicate those who are not being treated fairly and could be being exploited

There are over 40 million men, women and children living in slavery and at least 10 million of those are children!   People being exploited for forced labour, domestic servitude, sexual exploitation or used for organ harvesting, forced criminality or other abuses.  Modern day slavery and human trafficking can involve very lucrative and illegal business practices, creating huge financial profits of more than $150 billion each year.

•  In 2020, 4,946 children were referred as potential victims of slavery in the UK – National Referral Mechanism Report, Home Office
•  For the first time ever, more children than adults were identified as potential victims of slavery in the UK – Quarter 2, National Referral Mechanism Report, Home Office
• 40.3 million people are being exploited worldwide  – The Global Survey Index
• 1 in 4 victims of modern slavery are children  – International Labour Organization
• There are estimated to be more than 100,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK  – Justice and Care report, July 2020

Exploitation is the umbrella term we use at ‘Brave Bear Trust’ to describe ‘modern slavery’ and ‘human trafficking’.   Child trafficking and modern slavery are child abuse.

In the UK many children and young people are exploited.  In quarter 2 of 2020, more children than adults were identified as potential victims of slavery.

Trafficking is where children and young people are tricked, forced or persuaded to leave their homes and are moved or transported and then exploited, forced to work or sold. Children are trafficked for:

• sexual exploitation
• benefit fraud
• forced marriage
• domestic slavery like cleaning, cooking and childcare
• forced labour in factories or agriculture
• committing crimes, like begging, theft, working on cannabis farms or moving drugs.

Children are both trafficked around the UK and into the UK from other countries like Vietnam, Albania and Romania.

Trafficked children experience many types of abuse and neglect. Traffickers use physical, sexual and emotional abuse as a form of control. Children and young people are also likely to be physically and emotionally neglected and may be sexually exploited.

Definitions taken from the NSPCC NSPCC: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/child-trafficking/

We hope that ‘Brave’ can be read by community groups all over the world, such as Brownies and Cubs groups and faith organisations. The book includes discussion questions and follow up activities for children. We know that children often like to respond to a need, perhaps as a group you could spend some time doing one of the ‘Actions for Children’ activities suggested on our ‘Brave Academy Resources’ page and make the ‘Brave Bear Trust’ one the charities you support.

All our resources are aimed at children aged eight to ten and designed to complement the school curriculum. We have specific lesson plans for schools in Wales, England and the United States.

There is wider curriculum work which utilises ‘Brave’ across several lessons and topics incorporating other subject areas. This work has been designed by ‘Impact Wales’ and is aimed at the curriculum in Wales but can be easily adapted for other English-speaking countries.