Advocacy
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Street Children
Child Labour: Strengthening the UK’s approach to a persistent problem
Children in street situations are disproportionately engaged in child labour. From the leather industry to the adult entertainment sector, and domestic work to the garment factories feeding international supply chains, the scale of economic exploitation affecting children is currently unprecedented. The problem has been exacerbated by COVID-19 with estimates showing an increase in child labour since the pandemic.
Recognising the persistence and growth of the problem, the APPG on Street Children undertook a focused inquiry on child labour throughout 2022, seeking to build on understandings of the major causes of child labour and the role of small businesses and informal economies in its proliferation.
What is the aim of the APPG on Street Children?
As of June 2022, the APPG on Street Children is chaired by:
- Chair: Ms Sarah Champion MP (Labour)
- Vice-Chair: Sir Desmond Swayne (Conservative)
- Vice-Chair: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative)
- Vice-Chair: Lord Dholakia (Liberal Democrat)
- Vice-Chair: Catherine West MP (Labour)
- Officer: Ms Yasmin Qureshi MP (Labour)
- Officer: Mr Patrick Grady MP (SNP)
- Officer: Pauline Latham (Conservative)
- Officer: Virendra Sharma (Labour)
The APPG on Street Children convenes meetings in Parliament to discuss issues and share information about street-connected children worldwide, and communicates concerns to parliamentarians, ambassadors and governments. As the APPG’s Secretariat, CSC assists the Co-Chairs by connecting them with our members so that they can learn from and share our Network’s expertise on their parliamentary platform.
Previous APPG meetings have focused on several key issues, such as violence at the hands of the police, the right to education and links with modern slavery.
For more information on the APPG on Street Children, or to engage with the group’s work, please contact the APPG Coordinator, Stephen Collins, at stephen@streetchildren.org
Follow the APPG on Street Children on Twitter @APPG_SC.
This is not an official website of the House of Commons or the House of Lords. It has not been approved by either House or its committees. All-Party Parliamentary Groups are informal groups of Members of both Houses with a common interest in particular issues. The views expressed in these webpages are those of the group.
