John Merralls - UK Human Trafficking & Victim of Slavery Support Services

The guest speaker at tonight’s meeting of the Rotary Club of Motherwell and Wishaw was John Merralls, Senior Operations Manager for Scotland, North of England and Northern Ireland for Migrant Help (MH).

He is responsible for overseeing support services to victims of modern slavery and human trafficking and, in this role, he works in partnership with the Governments of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to inform policy and strategy on human trafficking.

During his excellent presentation he said that MH provided practical care and support directly to survivors of modern slavery across the UK and that modern day slavery is the fight of our generation. Men, women, children, brothers, husbands, sons, sisters, daughters and mothers – people. John clarified that they are not talking about numbers and ideas but about people who are abused and exploited by other people for the purpose of making money.

Those involved are no different from us. They have dreams of becoming someone significant, having a job or a career in which they will provide for themselves, their communities and their families. Traffickers prey on this intrinsic human desire for significance and will trick people into trusting them in order to put their victim into a helpless situation. These are people who are tricked into working in a job they did not want to do, their human rights exploited. They are often found working and living in slave-like conditions and trapped in a world of fear and violence where threats of reprisals against them and their families are common. Victims of slavery who once had dreams often descend into a world of mere survival. John provided a detailed case history of a Slovakian man who suffered horrific abuse, here in Scotland.

John said that MH’s Victim Support Service helps survivors of slavery on the road to well-being, believing in recovery, progression and the rediscovery of dreams and self-belief. His staff are committed to ensuring survivors – both male and female – are provided with a safe and supportive environment, a place of recovery where victims are supported to process their past, rebuild their confidence, develop skills and gain control over their lives again. MH works with adult male and female survivors and their dependents of all forms of modern day slavery; labour exploitation, sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, forced criminality and other forms of human trafficking. They help survivors access the services they need in order to progress on the recovery journey providing safe, secure accommodation and material assistance (including clothing, meals and other basic necessities), emergency medical treatment and access to other healthcare (including dentists and opticians), access to substance misuse support, psychological support and mental health services, legal aid, advice, asylum help, English lessons, art therapy and sports initiatives,

Assistance in family reunification or mediation, in seeking employment and in obtaining permanent accommodation, if permitted to reside in the UK, are also services offered by MH.

The success of John’s address was evidenced by the large number of questions put to him by members and Past President Bill McCallum proposed the vote of thanks.