Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking

Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking

At a recent meeting, members of the Rotary Club of South Foreland heard a disturbing account of the extent to which modern slavery and human trafficking are prevalent in our society and worldwide.

The speaker, Cliff Grieve, a member of the Rotary Club of Ashford, is Ambassador to Kent for the ‘Rotary Action Group Against Slavery’, which aims to raise awareness and empower communities to take action to eradicate all forms of modern slavery and human trafficking.

 On retiring from Kent Police in 1999 Cliff completed a PhD in Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking and has become one of the foremost experts in this harrowing subject, working with both Kent and Essex police forces, speaking on the subject in Parliament, giving talks to many young people in schools, and being an appropriate adult looking after arrested children.  Older children leaving the care sector are particularly vulnerable, but anyone can be a victim or an abuser. This was emphasised by the first slide of the presentation, as follows: ‘Trafficker, Trader, Abuser, Invader, rich man, poor man, anyone, thief’.

Although slavery in the UK was abolished in 1833 there are more slaves than ever in the UK and worldwide; an estimate of 1.8% of people in 1000 in the UK and 6.4% of people in 1000 worldwide.  25% of victims are children.  Thousands of people are exploited and sold into slave-like conditions across the UK.

Modern slavery is ‘hidden from plain sight’ as we may encounter victims in our everyday lives without knowing it. It is common in industries such as beauty, car washing, hospitality, construction, domestic and agriculture, as well as in criminal activities such as the sex trade, drug and organ trafficking.

Cliff spoke of County Lines, a particular kind of criminal slavery involving drugs.  Drug dealers coerce vulnerable children, sometimes as young as 9 or 10, to become ‘runners’ for delivering drugs which are sold to users, who are often desperate for drugs.  The children are attracted to drug gangs as they are groomed with gifts, cash, and promises which at first may give them a feeling of identity with the gang.  When something goes wrong or the children want to leave then they are in a dangerous situation.  They may be threatened or beaten by dealers, and desperate users may also be a danger.  Knife crime can be involved when there is gang conflict.

We were shown a video clip about ‘Evan’s story’ of his involvement with County Lines.  He was poor and needed money; running gave him a job, money to help his family as well as an identity with the gang.  He seemed to have what he wanted until he realised that he was involved in criminal activity.  His friend Jamie knew that Evan was in trouble.  Evan came to realise he was in danger when he was shown a video of a boy having his finger chopped off.  He felt trapped and had no one to confide in. He was relieved when someone called the police about this gang.  If it wasn’t for the police raid that followed, he would have been in a worse situation; that raid marked his escape from the terrible position he was in. Gangs don’t care about the children but become increasingly controlling and threatening.

A very recent development of County Lines which Cliff mentioned was ‘cuckooing’, when a drug gang takes over a household, using it as a base for storing and trafficking drugs.  They maintain control through threats of violence, such as raping a young girl in the household.

Cliff told us of his two week visit to Mongolia in 2017 when he helped the Mongolian Police with the problem of organ harvesting and trafficking.  This was a result of a climate event called ‘Dzud’ when extreme winter temperatures (down to -50 degrees centigrade) followed the heat and drought of summer.  This affected the livelihood of the many herding families and communities living in desert conditions as their animals died when there was nothing to feed them on.  Without the animals which the herders depended on, many families descended into poverty and moved to squatter settlements on the outskirts of towns.

 Some children were abandoned and there was alcohol and domestic abuse. Gangs from neighbouring China preyed on these children, taking them for organ harvesting. Cliff’s photos of a mother with her returned children and a social worker looking after six abandoned children, showed how traumatised the children had become.

 This was a dangerous time, with 4 million animals dying because of the weather and children exploited and abused.  Cliff’s meeting with the police, including the Commissioner, began a relationship between the Mongolian and Kent Police which lasted some time but is now inactive.

Cliff played us the video he uses with young people aged 13 plus in schools where, with Safeguarding Leads, he helps raise awareness of sexual exploitation.  The video emphasises the role of alcohol and drugs leading to dangerous relationships.  The aim is to raise awareness of the dangers and not to frighten young people: they do need to develop good relationships as they grow up.

Possible impacts of trafficking can be difficulty in relating to others, or in seeking help, lack of trust, learned helplessness, and isolation.  For those who are refugees there is also the worry of being returned to their country of origin.

 What can be done?

One thing we can do is to be alert to the signs that a person is a victim of modern slavery.  Physically they may look anxious, dishevelled, or malnourished and may have untreated injuries.  Some less obvious signs are that someone is paying for their travel or speaking for them.  They may be picked up and dropped off from work at unusual times, or they are not sure of their address.  For criminal slavery they may have plenty of cash, new clothes or a new phone.

Trafficking is the greatest human rights abuse.  We need to be the ears and eyes of our local community. If we become aware of a suspected case of modern slavery we should infrom the authorities, and not let the gangs win.  There is now a ‘Stop the Traffick’ App which can be used to report suspected instances: it is secure and anonymous.

Early intervention is important – making the authorities aware and taking children out of their dangerous situation. Arrest is the first stage of safeguarding and then helping victims to recover and build a better life.

Since 2011 the Salvation Army has had a contract with the Government to provide specialist support to protect and care for survivors of modern slavery.  Anyone who might be a victim is given the chance to enter the National Referral Mechanism to ensure that they receive appropriate support and protection.  Referral to the NRM can only be made by authorised agencies known as First Responders: Police Forces, Border Force, Home Office Immigration and Visas, and Social Services.  It also includes the Salvation Army which coordinates this support, covering confidential and legal advice, health care, counselling, educational opportunities, financial support, and help in obtaining employment and housing.

The Salvation Army confidential helpline for reporting potential victims of modern slavery so that they can be identified, referred and supported is: 0800 808 3733.

Not only does the Salvation Army give a voice to vulnerable people in this country through its hands on work, and campaigns such as on social justice, homelessness and human trafficking, but it is an international organisation involved in these issues in many other countries.

The Government website to seek advice or report concerns is: modernslavery.co.uk and the helpline is 08001021700.