Source: Metro News
Monday 21 Jan 2013 8:01 am
Thousands of people are being trafficked to the UK and forced to work long hours in squalid conditions for next to no pay, a major report has warned.
The UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) said 1,000 victims of trafficking for forced labour had been referred to the centre since 2009, but said this represented the ‘tip of the iceberg’ for a ‘hidden crime’.
UKHTC has launched a campaign with Crimestoppers and the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) to highlight the plight of victims.
‘It’s probably one of the least understood areas of human trafficking,’ said James Behan, head of operations for UKHTC.
‘If you asked a member of the public they would probably understand sexual exploitation and child trafficking, but when it comes to labour trafficking it’s a hidden crime.’
Mr Behan said part of the problem was businesses being unable to recognise when workers were victims of trafficking.
‘The idea is to raise the awareness of the general public as they’re going about their daily business to see the signs,’ he said.
‘It can range from a 15-year-old being made to work in a field to a middle-aged man who has fallen on hard times and become alcohol-dependent.
‘It isn’t one specific group, one nationality, one age group, it’s very encompassing.’
The UKHTC said trafficking for forced labour victims worked in low-paid jobs in private houses and the hospitality, farming and manufacturing sectors.
‘The people live in difficult conditions,’ Mr Behan continued.
‘Quite often they will share beds, it’s very poor-quality housing and there’s no real downtime because they have to work long hours. They have no possessions and no freedom.’
Recent high profile cases have shown British nationals also fall prey to forced labour, after several traveller families were convicted of keeping men as modern-day slaves.
‘A professor specialising in malnutrition had to come in and advise how to feed them, because it was similar to a concentration camp victim,’ Mr Behan added.
‘They had scurvy, broken bones that had not been treated and had no teeth left.’
The NSPCC is among charities offering training to workers such as GPs, social workers and midwives to spot victims of trafficking for forced labour.
‘Trafficking is one of the great scourges of child abuse, so we must do everything possible to stamp it out,’ said the charity’s John Cameron.
‘This funding will help us train professionals who form the crucial first line of defence against this dreadful crime that blights the lives of many children.’
Assistant chief constable Olivia Pinkney, representing Acpo, said: ‘Human trafficking is a hidden crime which affects many areas of our society.
‘Members of the public may not realise that they will see victims of labour exploitation, and those controlling them, in a number of different environments while going about their daily business.
‘Intelligence in this area is difficult to gather but we have had success in bringing prosecutions against those who exploit.
‘The victims of forced labour are often the most vulnerable in our society who are preyed on by criminal gangs, creating financial gain from human servitude and suffering.
‘The police rely on the public to provide information which can assist us in rescuing these victims and prosecuting the offenders.’
Crimestoppers said human trafficking was globally worth around $32billion (£20billion) to criminal gangs every year, making it one of the most high-value crimes in the world, second only to the drugs trade.
In total there are thought to be around 21million victims of forced labour across the world.
Roger Critchell, director of operations for Crimestoppers, said: ‘We are serious about tackling this crime as it is not one that is perceived as a problem by some.
‘People trafficked for forced labour are often sold a fairytale life, when the reality is they are thrown into horrendous conditions and are forced to work in circumstances out of their control.
‘As a crime-fighting charity, we have a responsibility to stop this.’
Accompanying the campaign, the government is launching joint action with China, Nigeria, Vietnam, Slovakia and Romania to tackle labour trafficking.
