Call for evidence

Call to: All organisations, governmental and non-governmental agencies and practitioners with a role to play in preventing human trafficking

Launch date: 1 June 2011

Responses by: 31 July 2011


To what extent is the UK government fulfilling its obligations under Chapter II of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings to take measures to prevent trafficking in human beings?

The Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group is a coalition established in 2009 to monitor the UK government’s compliance with the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (the Convention), which entered into force in the UK on 1 April 2009. The Monitoring Group’s main objectives are to collect, analyse and report on implementation of the Convention in the UK, including highlighting where Convention obligations are not yet being met; to examine the impact of
anti-trafficking measures on trafficked persons’ human rights; and to identify examples of good practice of anti-trafficking interventions in the UK. In June 2010, the Group published an analysis of all policies and measures to protect trafficked people in the UK.

This year the Group is focusing on prevention of trafficking, with a view to understanding what measures the British government has taken to prevent trafficking in human beings within, into, and out of the UK.

We seek to represent a comprehensive range of views regarding anti-trafficking policies and initiatives; as such, we welcome
comments from everyone who is directly or indirectly involved in anti-trafficking work.

We would ask that your response focus particularly on the following ten questions but we would, of course, welcome comments on any other aspect of prevention work. We will consider every response received.

1. What co-ordination of agencies involved in preventive work is there a) locally, b) regionally, and c) nationally? Who is involved? Are there any organisations or agencies with a role to play in prevention who are not included?

2. What policies, programmes or other measures have been implemented to prevent trafficking? (e.g. research, public information, awareness-raising and education campaigns, social and economic initiatives, training programmes to up-skill people vulnerable to trafficking) What has their impact been? How were they funded?

3. What opportunities are there for legal migration into sectors of the economy where trafficking is known or suspected to take place? How is this information made available to potential migrants?

4. How are migrant workers (including those working in illegal or semi-legal sectors) in the UK protected?

5. What measures are in place to create a protective environment for children? Are they effective? Are they enforced?

6. What measures (legislative, administrative, educational, social, cultural, research) to discourage demand for all forms of exploitation which lead to trafficking have been introduced? What has their impact been? How were they funded?

7. What is being done to prevent and detect trafficking (into and out of the UK) at borders? Who is involved? Is this approach
effective?

8. What measures are in place to support trafficked people who want to return to their country of origin? Are these measures effective at reintegrating trafficked people and preventing further victimisation?

9. In your opinion, what would an effective prevention strategy include? What more could be done to prevent trafficking in human beings?

10. Please provide any examples of good practice in prevention work from the UK or abroad.

In addition, it would be helpful to hear:

• Any examples of good or bad practice
• Anonymised case studies which demonstrate where current prevention-related measures have either helped or failed to help
trafficked people
• Information and, if you are able to provide them, contact details for any other projects, organisations or agencies you think
should be involved in the monitoring exercise
• Anything else you would like to share with the Monitoring Group

Please include your name, organisation (if any), email address and postal address in your response. All contributors to the research will receive a hard copy of the final report.

Responses may be sent by post or electronically to:

The Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group
Anti-Slavery International
Thomas Clarkson House
The Stableyard
Broomgrove
Road
London
SW9 9TL
s.edwards@antislavery.org

Closing date for responses is 31 July 2011

Confidentiality and anonymity

The information gathered during this call for evidence will be kept strictly confidential and will only be available to Monitoring Group staff. No statement or evidence will be attributed to any individual or organisation unless on the wishes of the individual/organisation and agreed in advance.

Evidence presented in the report will only be attributed to the type of organisation (e.g. health service provider, legal practitioner, law enforcement official etc.) and region of the UK in which the organisation operates. No details of names, specific departments or organisations will be published unless at the express wishes of the individual or organisation concerned.

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In June 2010, the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group published its first report. Wrong kind of victim? One year on…an analysis of UK measures to protect trafficked persons reviews the UK government’s anti-trafficking efforts one year after the entry into force of the Council of Europe’s Convention on Trafficking.

Wrong  kind of victim? Full report

Wrong kind of victim? summary report