"No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms." 
Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 4

 

There are more people in slavery in the world today than in the entire 350 year history of the slave trade. One in eight of them are in Europe; at least 10,000 of those are in the UK and over 1,000 of them are children.

 

Anti-Trafficking Alliance's concerns over sex trafficking and the 2012 Olympics

In 2012, the eyes of the world will be on London as it hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Sport can be a positive force in the lives of Londoners, but major sporting events have also been linked with increases in trafficking, prostitution and sexual assault in the past.

We are concerned that traffickers will seek to profit from the 2012 Games and would like the UK government to do everything it can to prevent this and reduce the risk to vulnerable women.

To read more of ATA's concerns, go to their page on this website.

 

Migrant Workers in the UK Sex Industry (November 2011)

In a surprising revelation, the large majority of interviewed migrant workers in the British sex industry are not forced or trafficked, suggests a recent report.

The 51-page report, Migrant Workers in the UK Sex Industry by Dr. Nick Mai, Senior Research Fellow in Migrations and Immigration at the Institute for the Study of European Transformations (ISET), asserts that working in the sex industry is often a way for migrants to avoid the unrewarding and sometimes exploitative conditions they meet in non-sexual jobs. Also, by working in the sex industry, many interviewees are able to maintain dignified living standards in the UK while dramatically improving the living conditions of their families in the country of origin. 

Please go to the above link to download a copy of the report.

 

Government opts in to the European Directive on Human Trafficking (March 2011)

On 22 March 2011 Damian Green, Minister of State for Immigration, wrote to the parliamentary scrutiny committees in both Houses, seeking their views on the government’s intention to apply to opt in to the EU Directive to Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking upon its adoption. "In June, the Government took the decision not to opt in at the outset to the proposal for a directive to combat human trafficking but undertook to review the position when there was a finalised text. We have now carefully considered the finalised text. The main risk associated with the text has now been overcome: by waiting to apply to opt in, we have a text that has been finalised and we have avoided being bound by measures that are against the UK’s interests. The new text still does not contain any measures that would significantly change the way the UK fights trafficking. However, the UK has always been a world leader in fighting trafficking and has a strong international reputation in this field. Applying to opt in to the directive would continue to send a powerful message to traffickers that the UK is not a soft touch, and that we are supportive of international efforts to tackle this crime."

What is the proposed EU Law?

The new EU law (directive) on human trafficking is designed to bolster current international anti-trafficking efforts by ensuring cooperation and common standards across the EU for the prosecution of traffickers and the protection of victims.

If incorporated into British law the Directive would create extra provisions to protect victims of trafficking, including witness protection. It would also make it easier to convict traffickers via the creation of a common EU definition which is broadened to include people forced into begging, alongside enabling EU member states to prosecute perpetrators of trafficking offences carried out in other member states.

How would it help combat human trafficking?

Traffickers do not respect national borders therefore a robust cross-border approach and coordinated EU action is imperative in order to tackle it, especially as many victims are now trafficked across Europe from new member states such as Romania and Bulgaria.

The proposed EU law would enhance much needed protection for victims of trafficking and increase prosecutions of traffickers across the 27 European Union member states.

Lords' Debate

On 13 January 2011 the House of Lords debated Violence Against Women. Baroness Massey of Darwen said:

"The trafficking of girls and women, in the UK but also elsewhere, is surely one of the most horrible of crimes against women. Again, the statistics are shocking. At any time, over 140,000 people are victims of trafficking. Of these, 84 per cent are trafficked for sexual exploitation and the majority of those are women.

"I go back to the impact of the trafficking of women and girls in Europe. A devastating report, Stolen Smiles, was published in 2006 by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. I cannot go into all its details but they are chilling. Women were trafficked to 24 different countries, including 53 % to EU member states. Forty-two per cent of this group were between 21 and 25, the youngest being 15 and the oldest 45. Sixty per cent had been subject to some sort of violence before they were trafficked and 90 % had experienced sexual violence; 44% had been tested for sexually transmitted infections; 17% had had an induced abortion and 38% reported having suicidal thoughts because of what happened to them.

"Yet some victims of trafficking are prosecuted for crimes that they have been forced into doing. ECPAT UK, the umbrella organisation on trafficking, reports the case of three young Romanian women who had been trafficked for sexual exploitation. The trafficking was suspected by relevant agencies in Manchester but the women were prosecuted and spent time in prison on a charge of prostitution. This surely needs to be looked at."

A transcript of the full debate can be read at the link.

 

Stop the Traffik's Global Freedom Summit

On 11 April this year STOP THE TRAFFIK will host a global summit which will provided a platform for world leaders and professional agencies to work with local communities and young people to tackle human trafficking before, during and after the 2012 Olympics. The summit will provide a model that can be replicated in local communities worldwide, linking decision-makers and grassroots activists, creating effective partnerships to prevent human trafficking. 

The Summit is taking place at 2pm to 5pm at the Oasis Academy Enfield, 9 Kinetic Crescent, Innova Park, Mollison Avenue, Enfield, London EN3 7XH. Registration cost is £5 per person. For more information or to register your intention to attend email info@stopthetraffik.org

View the anti-trafficking video Behind the Smile on YouTube

 

 

See SI Poole's initiative on the Purple Teardrop Campaign where you can download their latest progress report, petition and sample letter to MPs. 

 

See also Northern England's Comfort Bags campaign

  

 

Organisations and clubs working on Trafficking and the Sex Trade