Despite the UK’s Modern Slavery Act being groundbreaking and globally leading legislation, it is still a prominent issue within the UK that needs to be addressed at a preventative stage. This report updates the 2012 research relating to the prevention of human trafficking. Findings problematise the tendency to frame the anti-trafficking response through a criminal justice lens.
The report concludes that
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The UK continues to lack an overall strategy to prevent trafficking in adults and children;
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This leads to an inconsistent and fragmented approach to the prevention of trafficking;
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The UK’s lack of a strategic response means that prevention is often seen through the prism and policies of immigration and crime, hindering effective preventative action;
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The result of this approach and the wider policies of austerity, a hostile immigration environment and the threats posed by Brexit, is that the vulnerability of adults and children to exploitation is not reduced and the UK risks contravening its positive obligation to prevent trafficking.
For the full September 2018 report ‘Before the Harm is Done: Examining the UK’s response to the prevention of trafficking’, read here.
Europol’s latest report follows as human trafficking is a crime priority in the 2018 – 2021 EU Policy Cycle. Notably, Europol reports that approximately 28 percent of global trafficking victims are children, who are preyed on as they are one of the most vulnerable and weak social sectors. In the EU, traffickers target minors primarily for sexual exploitation, also labour exploitation and forced criminality. A prominent issue is the lack of reporting around male minors trafficked or exploited within the EU.
The aim is to disrupt organised crime groups (OCGs) involved in intra-EU human trafficking and human trafficking from the most prevalent external source countries for the purposes of labour exploitation and sexual exploitation, including those groups using legal business structures to facilitate or disguise their criminal activities.
For the full October 2018 report ‘Criminal networks involved in the trafficking and exploitation of underage victims in the EU’, read here.
The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) plays a critical role in global crime intervention. Their remit covers cooperation between member states, helping governments to achieve sustainable peace, security and development as outlined by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The 2017 annual report marks their 20th anniversary and outlines their significant activities during the year. Notable work is outlined within these five sectors:
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DRUGS, HEALTH AND TRAFFICKING: Supporting Member States in implementing a comprehensive, integrated and balanced approach to addressing and countering the world drug problem
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TRANSNATIONAL ORGANISED CRIME: Strengthening States’ capacity to confront threats from transnational organised crime and trafficking
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JUSTICE: Boosting respect for the rule of law and human rights by strengthening crime prevention and building effective criminal justice systems
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CORRUPTION: Promoting good governance, integrity and transparency in the public and private sectors for sustainable development
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TERRORISM: Supporting Member States to enhance their criminal justice responses to terrorism
For the full UNODC ANNUAL REPORT: Covering activities during 2017, read here.
Foreign national women face risk factors for human trafficking or sex trafficking, and in some cases of forced criminality yet have wound up in UK prison. The support for this demographic is varied between prisons. To address this, the report Still No Way Out Foreign National Women and Trafficked Women in the Criminal justice System addresses the experience of foreign national women and trafficked women in the criminal justice system within England and Wales between using data between 2013-2017.
Some of the key findings:
- Foreign national women represent 8% of the general population in England and Wales, but over 12% of all women received into prison each year and nearly 19% of those remanded.
- Most (59%) of the foreign national women in prison in England and Wales at time of reporting (2017) were from Europe, with the largest groups from Romania and Ireland.
- The offences for which foreign national women are imprisoned are overwhelmingly nonviolent. The most common offences for which the women were in prison were fraud (18%), theft (18%) and false document offences (10%). These are all indicator offences for trafficking and coercion.
- The Modern Slavery Act 2015 introduced a defence for victims of modern slavery compelled to commit a criminal offence. Yet evidence confirms that victims of modern slavery continue to be prosecuted for crimes they were forced to commit.
For the full report Still No Way Out by The Prison Reform Trust (PRT) and Hibiscus Initiatives, read here.
The National Crime Agency‘s NRM statistics have been published in their report National Referral Mechanism Statistics covering the year from April 2016 – 2017. Key statistics are as follows:
- 1631 potential victims were submitted to the National Referral Mechanism during the period January to March 2018; an 11% increase from the previous quarter October to December 2017.
- Reporting showed potential victims of trafficking originating from 87 different countries this period.
- Nationals from Albania, the UK and Vietnam remain the most commonly reported, with the United Kingdom being the most referred for the second consecutive quarter.
- The most recorded exploitation type for potential victims exploited as an adult was labour exploitation.
- The most prominent exploitation type recorded for potential victims first exploited as a minor was labour exploitation, which includes criminal exploitation such as cannabis cultivation and County Lines drugs supply.
- One case has been referred this quarter where the potential victim claimed their organs were to be harvested. Whilst no harvesting occurred, the case is under investigation to inform the conclusive grounds decision.
- Over one quarter of referrals received this quarter had no claimed exploitation within the United Kingdom.
- Seven potential victims were referred for crime recording purposes to Northern Ireland, with 53 to both Scotland and Wales. The remaining 1518 were referred to police forces in England.
For the full National Referral Mechanism Statistics 1st Quarter 2018 – January to March, see here.
Each year the Home Office produces a report on the status of modern slavery within the UK. Data is collected from three primary sources with current statistics as follows:
- Referrals of potential victims to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the UK’s identification and support system for victims of modern slavery. In 2016, there were 3,804 potential victims referred to the NRM (a 16% increase from 2015), of which around a third (1,277) were children.
- Referrals of potential victims under the ‘duty to notify’ provision of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 which applies to England and Wales. Specified public bodies have a duty to notify the Government if they encounter an adult victim of modern slavery. In 2016, 782 potential adult victims were referred to the duty to notify, bringing the total number of potential victims identified in 2016 to 4,586.
- The number of modern slavery crimes recorded by the police. In the year to March 2017, police in England and Wales recorded 2,255 modern slavery offences, a 159% increase on the previous year. In the year to March 2017, Police Scotland recorded 60 offences and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) recorded 35 offences.
For the full UK Home Office Annual Report on Modern Slavery October 2017, read here.
The National Crime Agency‘s NRM statistics have been published in their report National Referral Mechanism Statistics covering the year from April 2016 – 2017. Key statistics are as follows:
- 3085 victims were submitted to the NRM in 2016, a 17% increase from 2015.
- Of these 3085 potential victims, 150 were from Scotland, 123 from Wales and 33 from Northern Ireland. The remaining 3499 were referred from England.
- Reporting showed potential human trafficking victims from 108 nationalities.
- Albanian, UK and Vietnamese are the most commonly reported victims.
- The most common exploitation type for potential victims recored as an adult was labour exploitation, including criminal exploitation.
- The most common exploitation type for potential victims first recored as a minor was labour exploitation, including the sub category of criminal exploitation, such as cannabis cultivation.
- The minor exploitation referrals in the UK increased 30% to 1278 in 2016, compared to 982 in 2015.
For the full National Referral Mechanism Statistics April 2016 – 2017, see here.