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HONORARY PRESIDENT |
| Nick Broomfield | |
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PATRON |
| Ken Loach | |
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To respond to any of these news stories, email news@unchosen.org.uk
Signs of Sex TraffickingIn the wake of 7 people having being “variously convicted on May 14 of rape, arranging child prostitution, trafficking a child for sexual exploitation and supplying drugs” in Oxford, OXCAT provides some useful signs to watch out for which may indicate that trafficking is happening. Six Arrests made in Kensington after victims of trafficking managed to alert authorities“I urge other victims of trafficking to phone our hotline where we have translators and specially trained staff awaiting their call. “ Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland from Metropolitan Police Service Human Trafficking and Prostitution Unit commented after the arrests were made. Disturbing details of how children were groomed and abused in Oxford for yearsThe Guardian reports, “...Nanford guest house on Iffley Road looks freshly painted and promises guests bed and breakfast accommodation and garage space. Here, too, appearances are deceptive. It was to this small hotel that girls were brought and held, sometimes for days....” Bedfordshire men jailed for servitudeA combined sentence of 13 years is handed to Tommy Connors, Sr and his son Patrick following conviction for servitude in July 2012. Tied visas for migrant domestic workers: Reinstating the shackles of slavery ??Kalayaan briefing demonstrates how migrant domestic workers on tied visas are being subjected to “markedly worse treatment” than those who worked here under visas which did not “tie” the worker to their employer. 20,000 People Trafficked in the UKAndrew Stunell MP is shocked to realise the extent of Human Trafficking within the UK after visiting The Human Trafficking Foundation’s exhibition in parliament. Figures from the Human Trafficking Foundation claim there to be 20,000 slaves in the whole of the UK, with up to one thousand from the North West. NHS to provide training to help staff spot victims of traffickingDepartment for Health has announced that across the country healthcare workers are to be provided training to help them identify potential victims of human trafficking and provide them with advice. Trafficking for forced begging and criminal activities declared punishable under Criminal Law in IrelandAlan Shatter, Irish Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence announces publication (of Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) (Amendment) Bill 2013 180 known cases of forced labour in Ireland in past 6 yearsMigrant Rights Centre Ireland report that the situation of forced labour in Ireland is much worse than people realise. Trafficker who duped women into the UK jailed in DerbyshireA Latvian man has been convicted on charges of human trafficking for sexual exploitation by Leicester Crown Court. The man had made contact online with two young women from the Latvian capital Riga, who were planning a sightseeing trip to London. He took the women from Gatwick Airport to a hotel in Ripley where one of the women was sexually assaulted by another man. Police rescued the women two days later after being notified by hotel staff. Two men were already convicted on charges of trafficking for sexual exploitation and sexual assault last year in relation to the case. Google launches global human trafficking helpline and data networkReport about Google pledging $3 million (£2 million) to support three anti-trafficking organisations in building an international helpline and information network. Having the US, Europe and Asia covered between them, the Polaris Project, Liberty Asia and La Strada International are setting out to share and analyse essential information and data gathered through the helpline calls in order to identify patterns of where people are being trafficked from and to. Human trafficking victims tell of drug factory ordealReport about the experience of a Chinese woman who was forced to work in an illegal cannabis factory and later sentenced to twelve months in prison for engaging in criminal activity – despite being a victim of trafficking. A new EU directive designed to tackle this problem by giving member countries the right not to prosecute victims of human trafficking for criminal activities has just come into law. Drawing on the experiences of frontline workers, the article explains why the current UK regulations are insufficient and puts the issue of criminalising victims of human trafficking into a European context. Human trafficking: Co-ordinator role 'needs more teeth'Members of the Welsh anti-human trafficking forum have warned that the role of anti-human trafficking coordinator is lacking independence and power in its current form. Set up to tackle the problem of children being moved around Wales for sexual and labour exploitation, the position is the first of its kind in the UK. The current co-ordinator, Stephen Chapman, responded to the criticisms by pointing out that he is doing everything in his power to make Wales as hostile to traffickers as possible but that a change in his role would be a decision to be made by the Welsh government. Scotland: human trafficking victims no longer to be prosecutedScottish police have announced that human trafficking victims forced to work as sex slaves or in cannabis factories are no longer to be prosecuted. While the Scottish government is working on new laws, a dedicated team of officers has been set up to tackle the issue of people smuggling with the aim of identifying rather than criminalising victims of human trafficking. Opinion: human rights approach to trafficking for successor of UKBATopical opinion piece by Cornelius Katona (medical director of the Helen Bamber Foundation) calling on Home Secretary Theresa May to use the dissolution of the UK Border Agency as an opportunity to effectively apply a more victim-centred human rights-based approach to human trafficking. Provides some good background information to the failures of the current split system in dealing with cases of human trafficking. Why the game’s up for Sweden's sex tradeInteresting feature article investigating the impact of Sweden’s controversial 1999 decision to criminalise those buying sex instead of those providing it on street prostitution and human trafficking – and whether the UK could follow suit. Bradford: human trafficking victims running illegal cannabis farms to pay off debtWest Yorkshire police have announced that victims of human trafficking are being forced into illegal cannabis production to pay off their debts for being brought into the country. In light of the nationwide launch of the new Crimestoppers ‘scratch and sniff’ campaign (aimed at informing the public about how to spot the signs of illegal cannabis production), Bradford police have released their latest figures of uncovered cannabis farms and highlighted their links to serious organised crime. Minister warns shoppers could be buying goods made by slavesSpeaking at a conference on human trafficking in the private sector hosted by the Home Office, Immigration Minister Mark Harper has warned high street stores that their lack of awareness over supply chains mirrors the horse meat scandal. He highlighted that long and complicated supply chains could mask slave labour and urged companies to consider implications – such as potential forced labour or dehumanising working conditions somewhere in the supply chain – before agreeing to buy unexpectedly cheap goods or services. Man from Enfield jailed over trafficking teenage girl for sexual exploitationOdosa Usiobaifo has been jailed for 14 years by a jury at Isleworth Crown Court for trafficking two teenage girls from Nigeria into the UK. The girls, aged 14 and 15, had been told in their home country that they could become hairdressers in the UK but instead were to be sent to France to work as prostitutes. UK border officers stopped them when they noticed they were using fake passports. Both girls were granted asylum and were put in foster care but disappeared in April 2012. One girl was picked up by Spanish border police and has since returned to the UK but the other girl remains missing. Usiobaifo was found guilty of conspiring to traffic for the purposes of sexual exploitation and facilitating illegal immigration, yet other people involved in the trafficking of the girls remain unknown to the police. New report: modern slavery in the UK is ‘alive and kicking’The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has released a damning report on the state of modern slavery in the UK. Based on an investigation into the extent of trafficking in the UK between 2011 and 2012, the report calls on the government to significantly change its approach in dealing with cases of trafficking for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, forced labour and criminality. It also highlights the need for more awareness of modern forms of slavery among public agencies like social services and the police to properly identify potential victims. Proposed measures include the appointment of an anti-slavery commissioner, a change in oversight of trafficking from the immigration minister to the policing minister, and – most importantly – a new parliamentary act on modern slavery to stop hundreds of people in the UK falling victim to trafficking every year. New campaign sees taxis to join the fight against human traffickingCoinciding with International Women’s Day celebrations, taxi drivers in Cardiff have joined a new campaign to spread awareness of human trafficking in South Wales. The local charity Bawso and the Cardiff branch of Soroptomists International are providing taxis with stickers designed to encourage people to anonymously contact a 24-hour hotline (0800 7318147) and pass on information about forced labour and sexual exploitation. Wales Online 8 March 2013 Nigerian woman jailed after having been exploited for sex and labourA Nigerian woman has been jailed for 12 months for coming into the UK illegally after being a victim of trafficking and sexual exploitation. The 40-year old mother of four was brought into the country in 2009 with a fake passport. Upon arrival she was forced to work as a prostitute to pay off her debt for being brought into the country and didn’t see daylight for two months. When she became too ill to work as a prostitute she was told to either smuggle drugs or work illegally and hand her wages over to the traffickers. Arrested as part of a wider UK Border Agency operation to catch illegal workers, she has been found guilty of possessing a false passport and documents used for fraud. |
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