A Bill to make involvement in child criminal exploitation an aggravating factor in sentencing for drug supply, drug production, drug importation and money laundering offences; to make being a victim of child criminal exploitation a mitigating factor in sentencing for such offences; to establish reviews of sentencing guidelines in relation to the prevention of child criminal exploitation and criminal liability in relation to child criminal exploitation for organised criminal offenders; to amend the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to include a statutory definition of child criminal exploitation; to create a register of child criminal exploitation offenders; to place duties on public bodies to make plans to prevent, and collaborate in preventing, child criminal exploitation; to make provision about the reporting of the scale of child criminal exploitation and the inclusion of such exploitation in child, domestic, and offensive weapons homicide reviews; to require criminal justice agencies to publish information on their responses to child criminal exploitation; to make provision about the training of professionals in responding to child criminal exploitation; to make provision about the content and national oversight of local serious violence strategies in relation to child criminal exploitation; and for connected purposes.
House of Commons
29 April 2022
This Bill would treat involvement in child criminal exploitation as an aggravating factor in sentencing for certain drug–related offences and money laundering, while victims of exploitation could be considered for a mitigating factor. It also defines child criminal exploitation in law, creates a register of offenders, and places duties on public bodies to prevent exploitation and to report on its scale and responses. The Bill also covers training for professionals, guidance for local strategies, and national oversight to improve prevention and response to child exploitation.
The Bill is currently at its second reading in the House of Commons.
Generated 21 February 2026
The 2021-2022 session of Parliament has prorogued and this Bill will make no further progress.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.