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take action on trafficking in the uk

A NEW report released on the 16 June 2010 by the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group, of which Anti-Slavery International is a member, has shed light on the repeated failures of the Government to provide sufficient assistance to victims of trafficking in the UK.

take action here

The Government adopted the European Trafficking Convention in April 2009, following campaigning by anti-trafficking organisations in the UK. The Convention requires the UK to guarantee minimum standards of protection and support to trafficked people, ensuring access to specialist services including counselling and safe accommodation.

In reality, the new findings expose the UK as falling short of meeting its commitments under the Convention in a number of key areas. Ongoing barriers were identified to victims accessing support and protection measures including a biased identification process, inadequate resourcing of services, and the prosecution of victims. These systemic failures have resulted in their poor treatment, imprisonment, detention and deportation which has ultimately hindered the recovery of victims alongside the police’s fight to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice.

The Government must recognise the very real impact and devastation trafficking has on the individual lives of the men, women and children involved, and successfully follow through on its commitments under the Convention to ensure that victims of trafficking receive the support and treatment they are entitled to.

Read the full background information here

WHAT YOU CAN DO

We need your help to call on the new UK government to take more robust action to assist trafficked people in the UK and ensure their rights, which are enshrined in the Convention, can be accessed in practice.

Using the template letter below, please write to the new Home Secretary, Rt Hon Theresa May MP, urging the Government to guarantee the help and support that victims of trafficking urgently need.

Please also write to your MP and ask him or her to raise your concerns with the Home Secretary about this issue. You can email your MP from Parliament's website or www.theyworkforyou.com. Please send us copies of any replies you receive so we can monitor progress.

Your message

Subject:

Dear Home Secretary,

I welcome the progress made by the Government so far in tackling human trafficking, particularly the adoption of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.

However, although victims of trafficking are entitled to specialised support and protection under the Convention, I am concerned that in practice many obstacles remain in enabling them to access these rights. In reality, those subjected to trafficking in the UK are often not identified by the current referral system, are unable to access services to help them overcome their traumatic experiences, and are treated as criminals rather than victims of a crime.

These failures significantly hinder the recovery of victims from the psychological, physical and social consequences of their ordeal, alongside curtailing the fight by law-enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice.

I therefore urge the Government to successfully follow through on its commitments under the Convention by recognising the immediate need to: prevent further cases of trafficking; appropriately identify, protect and support victims, and adopt a victim-centred approach to anti-trafficking, thus ensuring they are treated fairly and can access the rights they are entitled to.

This would include the following measures:
- Reform of the identification process by adopting a multi-agency approach to decision-making, ensuring victims are referred to appropriate services, and they have a right of appeal.
- Increased resourcing for front-line services to assist victims of trafficking. 
- Appointment of an independent anti-trafficking watchdog based on the Dutch model to oversee anti-trafficking measures in the UK.
- Ensuring that no victims of trafficking are prosecuted for crimes they committed while under coercion. 
- Extension of the reflection period to 90 days to enable victims to properly reflect and improve cooperation with authorities.

Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

First name:

Last name:

Email:

Country

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bonded labour in India

Jiera (19, Lithuanian) was a victim of human trafficking: "My life has been ruined by two men I thought were my friends. They trafficked me into prostitution was I was 17." She has taken refuge in drink and drugs.
© Karen Robinson/Panos Pictures