1. Having learned about ‘hidden children’, do you think that when these children are discovered they should be sent back to their own countries? Bear in mind that British courts possess the right to take jurisdiction themselves or to pass the case on to the country concerned.
2. When British courts take a given case they use various methods or ‘tests’ to establish whether a child from another European country should be allowed to remain. One of these is called ‘habitual residence’, which looks at how the child is integrated into our country and the consequences of uprooting them. Another is called ‘best interests’. What do you think the courts mean by this, and, if Adrianna had been looked at, what do you imagine her check list of best interests would have looked like?
3. Although human trafficking is often a hidden crime and accurate statistics are difficult to obtain, researchers estimate that more than 80 per cent of trafficking victims are female. Over 50 per cent of human trafficking victims are children. What do you think may have happened to Adrianna if she hadn’t escaped when she did? Consider her pregnancy in particular.
4. Although it is estimated that 30 per cent of humans trafficked are sold into the sex industry, discuss the other areas in which vulnerable men, women and children are useful to traffickers.
5. Since the advent of free movement within most of Europe, discuss the implications you think this has had on our resources as a country. Given the unknown figures – which are thought to be immense – how do you think we could address this? Do you even think we should address this? Do we have a moral responsibility to the children of the wider world?
6. What about the children like Adrianna? She tells Casey she hasn’t been honest about her baby as she is frightened she ‘will be taken to a detention centre’, in other words become a virtual prisoner. Do you think we should have a dedicated ‘safe haven’ for these girls to run to? A place where they could get help without judgement? What would this resource look like?