How we protect and safeguard vulnerable children from exploitation on transport networks.
Updated: 28th April 2026 | Author: Amy Wright
At Railway Children, we aim to create a safer world for vulnerable children and empower them to sustain positive change in their lives.
Central to our work in India, Tanzania and the UK is identifying children who are experiencing or at risk of harm and taking action to keep them safe and supported long-term.
Safeguarding and child protection are terms often used interchangeably, but there are key differences between them.
Safeguarding refers to the steps taken to ensure that children and young people are protected from abuse, neglect and exploitation, and that their wellbeing is actively promoted.
In relation to our work, this can include making train stations safer for young people and creating environments where children are protected while travelling.
Safeguarding responsibilities include:
Child protection is closely linked to safeguarding but focuses specifically on children who are known or suspected to be experiencing harm or at risk of harm.
Child protection can include:
Safeguarding and child protection are closely connected and both play a vital role in protecting children’s wellbeing.
Importantly, both share the same goal: to ensure children are safe and supported.
Both approaches consider the wider context of a child’s life, including:
For example, if a child is at risk of exploitation, professionals will take a holistic view of their situation to understand the full range of risks and needs.
Teachers, social workers, health professionals and youth practitioners all have a duty of care. They often work together to share information, identify risks and ensure appropriate safeguarding measures are in place.
Many children use transport networks to escape difficult or unsafe situations, including abuse, neglect or family breakdown. Some may also be at risk of criminal or sexual exploitation, or struggling with poor mental health.
In the UK, our Safeguarding on Transport programme focuses on improving the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable children and young people using the transport network.
In Tanzania and India, our child help desks in train stations and bus terminals provide safe spaces where vulnerable children can receive immediate support. Our teams assess their situation and help connect them with longer-term care and protection.
A key part of this work is focusing on the places young people interact with outside the home — particularly rail and bus networks, where we know safeguarding concerns frequently arise.
From 18 – 22 May 2026, 14 police officers serving under the Gender and Children’s Desk in Mwanza successfully completed a five-day specialist training on child sexual abuse interviewing and crime scene forensics, delivered through a partnership between Railway Children Africa (RCA) and the College of Policing.
In her first nine months, Nicki Mackin has helped safeguard dozens of young people and worked with rail staff, retailers and the public to improve awareness of vulnerability across the station.
As the only UK voices on the Children and Young People’s Global Taskforce for Care Reform, Railway Children Youth Ambassadors Corey and Elliot brought their lived experience to parliament!
Learn about safeguarding and how it relates to child protection on transport networks.
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