History & Area Studies / Thematic History / Social & Cultural History

How Britain's 'Child Rescue' Was Actually Human Trafficking (1830s-1970s)

Children’s Experiences of Welfare in Modern Britain

Siân Pooley, Jonathan Taylor

Think child welfare was always about kindness? Think again. This video unpacks the shocking reality behind Britain's child welfare system from the 1830s to the 1970s, based on the groundbreaking book 'Children’s Experiences of Welfare in Modern Britain' by Siân Pooley and Jonathan Taylor. We reveal how charities like the Children's Friend Society shipped kids to colonial plantations as cheap labor, how industrial schools locked up children from stable families for funding, and how Barnardo's systematically erased children's identities. From a 10-year-old whistleblower who exposed a trafficking network to kids choosing institutions over abusive homes, this is history that will make you question everything you thought you knew about 'saving' children.