the invisible children

Esther Freeman of the British Association for Adoption & Fostering reports on worrying cases of children subject to exploitation and abuse after being sent to live in the UK with members of their extended family.

Catherine* was only 8 years old when her family in Nigeria told her she was going to live with an 'aunty' in England. Her family promised her that they were sending her away so she could receive a better education. Instead Catherine found herself trying to survive as a domestic worker forced to work each day, every day in her new home.

Catherine describes her new life in England: "I had to get up at 6 o'clock, feed the baby, wash the clothes, iron and clean the floors. When I was older my aunty gave me to another woman. Oh it was so bad, so bad. She had so many children. I had to get up at 5 o'clock and bath all the children, cook and clean and then put them back to bed."

Catherine was privately fostered, a term which describes an arrangement lasting 28 days or more where a child is cared for by someone who isn't a close relative. There are an estimated 10,000 children being privately fostered in England and Wales. Most of them will be in loving, caring homes, but some, like Catherine, are not so lucky. This is why it is a legal requirement for carer and parent to notify the local authority of such arrangements. But sadly, most don't.

The British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF) is launching a campaign called Somebody Else's Child to raise awareness of private fostering and to urge the local community both to learn how to recognise and learn how not to ignore signs of a private fostering arrangement.

Catherine's situation is not unique. Even the fact that she was moved between countries is not unusual. It is estimated that across the world hundreds of thousands of children are trafficked each year.

Families often make the decision to allow a child to live far from home in the hope that it will provide them with a better life. However, far too frequently, children find themselves in conditions of slavery.

Hope was also sent to England from Nigeria when she was 12 years old. Hope's parents split up when she was very young and after her mother died she went to live with her father. He already had two wives and 14 other children and Hope jumped at the opportunity to leave Nigeria and join a cousin in London. However, her dream quickly turned into a nightmare.
   
She said: "My cousin picked me to come and live with her and look after her four children. I would get up between 5 and 7 to wake the children. I would also clean the house and cook for the whole family."

Hope also suffered terrible abuse. "I wasn't allowed to sleep next to her babies because I was her slave. So I slept downstairs on the floor. It was so cold but if I went upstairs, where it was warm, I would get beaten.

"She used to beat me almost every day. Once I gave her a bowl of water to wash her hands and the water was a little bit too hot or too cold, or something. She started shouting at me, 'what's wrong with you?' Then she started hitting me on the head with a board and I started bleeding and collapsed. She was really scared then and told me that if I died she would bury me in the garden."

Neither Catherine nor Hope had a social life. "When I asked to go out with my friends, she would say I couldn't go," Catherine explains. "They were always saying you can't do this and you can't do that. It was like I was a prisoner."
   
Hope wasn't allowed any friends at all, and it was only after two years that she finally was able to go to school.

"People started asking questions so my cousin had to find me a school. She didn't give me any bus fare so I walked all the way home. She used to time me and if I was late she would cuss and slap me."

It was a girl at school who finally helped Hope escape from her cousin.

"I told her what happened and started to cry. She said I must tell someone or my cousin would end up killing me. So one day, after a really bad beating, I packed my stuff. My cousin asked me what I was doing and I told her I was going to wash my clothes. Then I went out the back and started running."

Catherine escaped after she was put to work outside the home.
   
"When I was 13 I was told I had to earn money for food so I was sent to work for another woman. I was paid £100 a week but had to give it all to my 'auntie'. The other woman was kind to me. One day we were talking and I said it was my birthday soon and I would be 15. The woman was surprised because she thought I was 19. She told my 'auntie' in this country the law says I must go to school. The woman said I could live with her and go to school. So I did."

A recent survey by BAAF revealed that 22% of people said they would do nothing if they saw an unrelated child suddenly appear next door. The primary reason for not acting was that they felt it was "none of their business". But David Holmes, Chief Executive of BAAF, explains that people could be ignoring signs of private fostering.

"A child arriving and then disappearing could be a sign of a private fostering arrangement. By law the local authority must be notified because whilst most children in private fostering situations will be fine, others may be in real danger. Therefore we are urging people not to ignore it. Either speak with the carer, if appropriate, or call children's social services at your local council."

Now they have their freedom, both Hope and Catherine are trying to get their lives back together. "I'm back at college now and I want to go to university," explains Catherine. "I want to move on with my life."

Hope is also trying to catch up on her lost education. "I'm trying to study and find a part time job," she says. "I'm much happier but I do feel my cousin spoiled my childhood."

For more information about private fostering

* The names of both children have been changed for their own protection.