New anti-slavery laws introduced

26 March 2010 - Ministry of Justice

New laws which make it easier to prosecute those who exploit some of the most vulnerable people in society are about to come in to effect.

The new offence of holding another person in slavery or servitude, or requiring another person to perform forced or compulsory labour, is set out in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. Those found guilty face a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.

Justice Minister Claire Ward said:

‘This change will give police and prosecutors an additional weapon in the fight against forced or compulsory labour – practices which have no place in modern Britain. We are determined to crack down on those who exploit some of the most vulnerable people in society.

‘The victims are often migrant workers who may speak little English, be unaware of their employment rights, or not know how to report what is happening to them.

‘The Government is today sending a clear message that anyone who forces another person to work without giving them the pay and conditions to which they are rightly entitled can be brought to justice.

‘We are committed to a fair deal in the workplace and to tackling practices which are damaging to individuals, society, and ultimately British businesses who have to compete against such unfair practices.’

Human rights campaign group Anti-Slavery International welcomed the move.

Director Aidan McQuade said:

‘Making forced labour and servitude criminal offences in the UK is a great act of leadership by the Government and the Ministry of Justice. Government listened to the concerns of civil society, public servants and parliamentarians and acted with this law to protect the most vulnerable workers from slavery in the factories, farms and even homes of this country.

‘Parliament has now provided clear guidance to law enforcement and prosecutors on society's expectations of how they should act against perpetrators of these crimes. This is an example of politics at its best.’

Claire Ward reassured employers that the new legislation is aimed at people who exploit others, and is unlikely to impact on responsible employers who comply with current law.

She added:

‘We are aware that in many sectors such as agriculture, construction or hospitality, low-cost, seasonal labour can be the lifeblood of a business. This new legislation is not specifically targeted at these industries, but applies across the board.

‘Employers will need to comply with the new law. But if they already comply with existing employment law they’re unlikely to have anything to worry about from the new offence.

‘Forced labour requires a level of coercion or deception beyond that of a normal employment arrangement. For the new offence to apply, the employer must have known the arrangement was oppressive, or turned a blind eye to that fact.’

http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/newsrelease250310c.htm

International Woman's Day Revisited

The SAHT team (minus Miranda) and Anti-Slavery International speaker Gemma Wolfes



A big thanks to all of you who attended our event on domestic slavery last term for making it such a success, especially our speaker Gemma Wolfes. We'd also like to thank those of you who gave your time and effort to our fundraising activities.

To find out more about Anti-Slavery International's campaign in trying to get the ILO to adopt a new convention on domestic work and how you can take action please see

http://www.antislavery.org/english/campaigns/home_alone/about_home_alone_campaign.aspx

International Woman's Day

Monday, March 8th at 2pm
Talk – ʻHuman Trafficking and Domestic Slavery’
Room: Falmer House Common Room
Join us for a talk by Anti-slavery International’s Gemma Wolfes in line with their new ‘Home Alone’ campaign in tackling the global exploitation of domestic workers.


Later that day from 6-8pm
Film Screening – ʻThe Jammedʼ
Russel Building Room 19
‘The Jammed’ is an award winning Australian film, based on a true story of a woman’s attempt to find her daughter who has been trafficked from Asia into the Australian sex trade.

Introductory Session

Thursday, November 5th at 1.30pm-Falmer House 228

Film Screening- 'The Real Sex Traffic'-
written and directed by Ric Esther Bienstock
-an award winning documentary inside sex trafficking in Eastern Europe. Featuring interviews with trafficked persons and a convicted trafficker

Following the screening we will present an outline of our plans for this term, which will include discussions, debates and fundraising activities

Should we believe the hype? To what extent do statistics on human trafficking for sexual exploitation into the UK mirror reality?

A summary of Nick Davies’ article

An article published by the Guardian on Tuesday 20th October 2009 by Nick Davies suggested that current figures of sex trafficking into the UK are highly over exaggerated and misleading. The article, entitled “Inquiry fails to find single trafficker who forced anybody into prostitution”, was the product of an investigation led by the Guardian into the results of Operation Pentameter Two (a nationwide investigation into human trafficking conducted in 2007). What was discovered were discrepancies between the number of arrests claimed to have been made and those which in reality took place. The article deemed Pentameter Two a failure on account of not resulting in a single prosecution for trafficking related offences, stating that although five men were convicted of trafficking women into forced prostitution, these were not direct consequences of the operation itself.

Another blow to Pentameter‘s credibility was dealt as Davies illustrated that the definition of trafficking used for the operation was taken from the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Unlike the definition found in the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children 2002, this does not deem force or deception prerequisite to the term. This would potentially question ideas of progress on behalf of sex workers’ rights groups considering the effort made by the Human Rights Caucus during the creation of the Protocol in managing to incorporate these elements into the final product.

Davies concludes that the UK Parliament is in the process of passing the Policing and Crime Bill which, when brought into force, will amend among other things the Sexual Offences Act 2003. This will entail including in section 53A the subsection explaining that, whether or not a person making or promising a payment for sexual services of a prostitute is aware of that prostitute being controlled for gain by a third person, is irrelevant. This would add to the already vast repertoire of laws regulating prostitution which arguably serve to do nothing but isolate the sex worker from protection and further place the goal of recognising sex work as a legitimate form of labour, and thus according to sex workers the corresponding rights, out of reach.

Nick Davies’ report left me with a healthy dose of scepticism as to the real scale of sex trafficking in the UK, and made me question as to how far the hype is just being fed to us by politicians and neo abolitionists with vested interests in eradicating prostitution. However, one must be aware of the difficulties in compiling data on human trafficking, as for example much literature on the topic tells us that potential victims may be less likely to come forward due to fears of possible reprisals to them or their families at the hands of their traffickers or members of the network they are associated to.

-Caroline Eriksson

To read Nick Davies’ report follow the link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/oct/20/government-trafficking-enquiry-fails
We at SAHT would like to know your opinion, please don’t hesitate in posting your thoughts on the topic

Trafficking in Children - Important Report issued (June 2009)

Breaking the wall of silence: practitioners’ responses to trafficked children and young people

Report by Jenny J. Pearce, Patricia Hynes and Silvie Bovarnick (June 2009)

The report reveals the complexities involved in identifying and responding to the needs of children and young people who have been trafficked into and within the UK. It argues that trafficking is a process, not a one-off event.

Trafficking is often hidden behind a wall of silence with children and young people on one side, afraid or unable to talk, and practitioners on the other, finding it hard to identify the child or young person, respond to their needs or prosecute their abusers.

The research gives insight into how practitioners have worked with and sometimes overcome these problems while maintaining the child’s best interests.

The research was conducted by researchers at the University of Bedfordshire and the NSPCC, jointly managed by the University of Bedfordshire and the NSPCC, and principally funded through The Children’s Charity.

Further information and PDF download of the report (full text) at:
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/Finding /breaking_the_wall_of_silence_wda65628.html

Information taken from NSPCC's website

Human Trafficking Awareness Week

A warm thank you to all of you who attended our events this week, and a special thank you to our three speakers: Ilse Van Liempt, Jo Doezema and Bridget Anderson!
The blog will soon be updated with a list of literature as discussed during the workshop. We will also send all attendants the presentations of our speakers.

Workshop 'Conceptual Approaches to Human Trafficking', with Ilse Van Liempt and Jo DoezemaConference- 'Victims and Villains', with Bridget Anderson

And the SAHT team with out speakers!

TRAFFICKING AWARENESS WEEK AT SUSSEX - The Politics of Human Traficking and the Challenges of Globalization

Thursday, May 7th at 4pm
Film Screening – ʻHuman Traffickingʼ
Library, Large AV Screening Room, followed by drinks & discussion at IDS bar
‘Human Trafficking,’ starring Mira Sovrino and Donald Sutherland, is the story of four
individuals with different backgrounds who fall victim to the same network of international sex slave traffickers. Join us after the film for coffee and discussion at IDS bar.

Friday, May 8th at 11am – 1pm
Workshop – ʻConceptual Approaches to Human Traffickingʼ
Room: Arts C 233
Join us for a discussion with two Sussex-based researchers on the concept of Human Trafficking. Presentations by:
Ilse van Liempt, Sussex Centre for Migration Research
Jo Doezema, Institute for Development Studies

Friday, May 8th at 5pm
Keynote Address – Bridget Anderson, ʻVictims and Villainsʼ
Room: Arts A2
Bridget Anderson is the head of the COMPAS programme 'Infrastructures of Migration.’
She is the author of 'Labour Exchange: Patterns of Migration in Asia,' and 'Doing the Dirty
Work? The global politics of domestic labour.' She is particularly interested in precarious labour, migration, and the state. She has worked closely with migrants' organizations, trades unions, and legal practitioners at local, national, and the European level.

The EU Commission cracks down on modern slavery and child sexual abuse

Brussels, 25 March 2009

The European Commission has today adopted two proposals for new rules to step up the fight against trafficking in human beings and child sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and child pornography. These new proposals replace existing legislation which has been in place since respectively 2002 and 2004. The new proposals will guarantee full alignment with the highest European standards, provide better assistance for victims and tougher action against criminals responsible for child sexual abuse and trafficking. The proposals also deal with the rapidly changing technologies in the cyberspace.

Vice President Barrot, in charge of Justice, Freedom and Security said : "We want to build an EU that is truly able to protect the most vulnerable citizens against the most terrible crimes. When we say trafficking in human beings we are talking about women and girls reduced to sexual slavery, children beaten and mistreated, forced to beg and to steal, young adults compelled to work in appalling conditions for hunger wages. When we speak about child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation, we are speaking about horrendous crimes against children that leave deep scars and suffering for their whole lives."

Key facts and figures

According to International Labour Organisation globally 1.225 million people are trafficked transnationally or within their own countries. Most victims of trafficking are exploited for prostitution (43%) or for labour (32%). Regarding forced commercial sexual exploitation, an overwhelming majority (98%) are women and girls. It is reasonable to estimate from the available figures that several hundred thousand people are trafficked into the EU or within the EU every year.

Studies suggest that a significant minority of children in Europe, between 10% and 20% as an informed scientific estimate, will be sexually assaulted during their childhood.

In 2008 more than 1000 commercial and about 500 non-commercial child abuse content websites were found, of which 71% in the US. It is estimated that about 20% of child porn websites are non-commercial (mostly Peer-to-Peer (P2P)).

It is estimated that some 20% of sex offenders on average (with big differences between different profiles of offenders) go on to commit new offences after conviction.

The new proposals

The two proposals for Council Framework Decisions would oblige EU countries to act on the three fronts of prosecuting criminals, protecting victims and preventing the offences.

The proposal to fight trafficking in human beings approximates national legislations and penalties, makes sure that offenders are brought to justice even if they commit crimes abroad. It will allow police to use phone tapping, eavesdropping and other similar tools used to fight organised crime. Victims will receive accommodation and medical care and if necessary police protection so that they recover from their plight and are not afraid to testify against their perpetrators. They will be protected from further traumatisation during criminal proceedings, deriving for example from probing questions about the experience related to their forced sexual exploitation. Victims will receive free legal aid throughout the proceedings including for the purpose of claiming financial compensation. The proposal encourages sanctions against clients of people forced to offer sexual services and against employers exploiting trafficked people. The proposal also establishes independent bodies to monitor implementation of these actions.

The proposal to fight the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children makes it easier to punish those who abuse children by providing criminal sanctions for new forms of abuse like 'grooming' - luring children through internet and abusing them, viewing child pornography without downloading files or making children pose sexually in front of webcams. "Sex tourists" travelling abroad to abuse children will face prosecution when they come home. Child victims will be able to testify without having to face the offender at court to spare them from additional trauma and will be helped by a free lawyer. Every offender should be assessed individually and have access to tailor made treatment so that they don't abuse again. The prohibitions from activities involving contact with children imposed on offenders should be effective not just in the country where they were convicted but across the EU. Systems to block access to websites containing child pornography will be developed

The proposals will be discussed in the EU Council of Ministers and once approved should be translated into national legislations.

VP Barrot concluded: "Our message is clear. These crimes which know no borders are unacceptable. Europe will continue to set the highest and most ambitious standards in fighting them".

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/472&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Ain’t I a woman? Sex workers’ rights are women’s rights

From AWID: http://awid.org/eng/Issues-and-Analysis/Issues-and-Analysis/Ain-t-I-a-woman-Sex-workers-rights-are-women-s-rights

Between March 12-14, 2009, a dialogue between sex workers and violence against women advocates took place in Bangkok, Thailand. The ‘Ain’t I a Woman?’ meeting aimed to forge stronger connections between sex workers’ and violence against women’s movements.

By Kathambi Kinoti

Women’s movements have constantly been challenged to be more inclusive and embracing of diversity. In 1851, Sojourner Truth, an African American former slave and anti-slavery activist delivered her famous ‘Ain’t I a Woman?’ speech to an audience at the Women’s Convention in the United States of America’s state of Ohio. In those times, as she alluded in her speech, genteel men helped women – white, not black - over ditches and into carriages. Sojourner pondered why her strong arms, ability to work in the fields, bear the lash, and survive the sale of her children into slavery should make her less of a woman.[1] Feminist ideas about what women are entitled to have progressed since then, but marginalisation of certain categories of women continues within feminist movements.

From March 12-14 this year, a unique dialogue named ‘Ain’t I a Woman?’ was held between sex workers and activists working to eliminate violence against women. The meeting, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand drew thirty participants from all over the world including Nigeria, Poland, the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia, Indonesia, Canada, the Netherlands and Malaysia. It was organised by CREA (Creating Resources for Empowerment in Action, India) and CASAM (SANGRAM’s [2] Centre for Advocacy on Stigma and Marginalisation, India).

‘Ain’t I a Woman?’ helped violence against women activists to track the continuum of violence in the life of a woman in sex work. It traced the violence perpetrated by the state and society, which marginalise people in sex work. It also highlighted the fact that sex workers include men and transgender people.

The idea for the meeting’s name came from Shabana Kazi of the organisation VAMP,[3] who wondered why sex workers’ rights are not considered to be women’s rights and violence against sex workers is not considered to be violence against women. The refrain ‘Ain’t I a Woman?’ challenges mainstream women’s rights activists to pose the same question with regard to sex workers. In many feminist circles, prostitution is seen as violence against women, even though while violence against sex workers does exist, the exchange of money for sexual services does not per se constitute violence.

Some of the dominant themes during the meeting included the need to address the tendency to equate all sex work to trafficking, the widespread, routine abuse of the rights of sex workers and the need to decriminalise sex work.

Sex workers’ rights advocates contend that there is confusion and ambiguity when the umbrella of ‘sex trafficking’ is applied across the board as the plight of sex workers. It is true that some girls and women are victims of sex trafficking. However it must not be assumed that every person in sex work is a victim of trafficking. When commercial sex transactions are often regarded uniformly as exploitation, sex workers are seen as victims. On the contrary, the vast majority of sex workers see themselves in fact as independent, knowledgeable agents, and perceive ‘protective’ laws as restrictive and out of touch with their realities.

Trafficking, prostitution and sex work may have interconnections, but they cannot be considered as one and the same thing. The ‘victimhood’ perspective in prostitution emerged in a particular historical context and regarded all commercial sex transactions as falling within the offence of trafficking. Commercial sexual exploitation is conceptualised as a product of social, economic and political structures with no room for agency by the ‘victims.’ On the other hand sex workers perceive ‘protective’ laws as harassment and contributing to the perpetuation of unsafe working conditions and violation of their human rights.

As in the case of sex work, migration and trafficking are often conflated in the dominant discourse resulting in the restriction of the mobility of women in search of work. This view considers all migration of women in non-organized sectors ‘trafficking.’ The illegality of sex work and unsafe working conditions sometimes force sex workers to identify themselves as ‘trafficked victims.’ This creates a vicious cycle with more criminalisation leading to unsafe conditions and repetition of the process. Sex workers say that it is easier to address trafficking if sex work is not illegal and underground. Meena Saraswati Seshu of SANGRAM says ‘Women’s rights activists should stand for sex work as work, and help society accept this.’ She says that only then can the areas where sex work is practiced ‘be extracted from the dark and dingy spaces they now inhabit.’

According to the dialogue organisers, some of the rights and freedoms that sex workers are entitled to, but which are routinely abused are:

* The right to live in a clean and healthy environment;
* Freedom from exploitation;
* Freedom from societal violence;
* Freedom from discrimination and stigma;
* Freedom from the accusation of being traffickers or associates of traffickers;
* Freedom to walk into a police station and file a complaint against those who exploit them;
* Freedom to report abuse, sexual violence, exploitation, coercion, debt bondage and slavery-like practices; and
* Freedom to access health care and to ensure condom use.

Sex workers’ rights advocates say that decriminalisation of sex work would bring many benefits. While there are many injustices associated with sex work, and sex workers need to be strengthened to fight back. ‘Jailing a few unscrupulous persons is but patchwork,’ says Seshu. ‘We need to change from within, and a criminal space will not achieve this.’

One outcome of the meeting was the conceptualisation of a campaign titled ‘Ain’t I a Human? Where are We?’ The campaign aims to bring violence against women within the purview of human rights, labour rights and international organisations and donors. The campaign, which will be virtual, will involve:

* A secondary research study on violence against women initiatives to look for gaps in relation to sex workers’ rights and to make suggestions based on this research;
* The production of a briefing paper on sex workers’ rights that can be used as an advocacy tool nationally and globally;
* A petition and open letter on sex workers’ rights that can be sent to international organisations, donors and the media;
* The generation of greater awareness in the public sphere on sex workers’ rights through creative media such as film clips, print media and interactive websites.

The one-of-a-kind dialogue in Bangkok opened the door for greater understanding and collaboration between sex workers’ and violence against women’s movements. Geetanjali Misra of CREA says: ‘The dialogue was transformative for some, productive in terms of moving forward to work together across movements, insightful and an opportunity to learn. It was also challenging for many.’ Women’s movements may find it novel to embrace sex workers, but true freedom for all women will only be achieved when all marginalised groups are free.

SYRIA: First shelter for trafficked people opens in Damascus (IRIN)

DAMASCUS, 2 February 2009 (IRIN) - A shelter for people trafficking victims has just opened in an undisclosed location in Damascus. It is the first of its kind in Syria, which has only recently recognised human trafficking as a problem but still has no specific laws against it.

Human trafficking is only just starting to gain widespread public attention in the region: Jordan passed a law to penalise people trafficking only last week; a similar Egyptian law is still in draft form, and other countries like Lebanon still have no specific legislation against people traffickers.

The new shelter has 20 beds, a communal area, a kitchen and a bathroom. Further rooms are for medical treatment, psychological care and legal advice. A second shelter is planned for the northern city of Aleppo.

The shelter is “pioneering work”, according to Laila Tomeh, national programme officer at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) office in Syria. “In 2005 Syria set up a national committee to draft a law on counter-trafficking and to look into establishing a shelter,” she said.

“Before then the Middle East did not talk about counter-trafficking as an issue relevant to it; you couldn’t sense a problem. A few years on and Syria has one shelter open, another under way, and a draft law in the cabinet,” Tomeh said.

The international nature of trafficking means it is no longer viable for any country to ignore, according to Ibrahim Daraji, professor of international law at Damascus University, who authored a recent study of the Syrian laws that could cover human trafficking in the absence of specific legislation. Syria’s geographical location, in the centre of the Middle East and close to conflict zones such as Iraq, makes it especially susceptible to traffickers, Daraji said in his report.

Syria has been slow to tackle human trafficking despite being party to relevant international conventions, according to the 2008 US State Department’s report on trafficking in persons. The report accuses the Syrian government of failing to implement the minimum required counter-trafficking protection. The Syrian Foreign Ministry said the report was “based on political considerations” and “not objective”.

UN definition of people trafficking

“The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.

"Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.” (Article 3, para (a) of the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children.)

A lack of research means the nature of Syria’s victims and whether it is predominantly a country of origin, transition or destination is unknown. The 2008 US report said Syria is “a destination and transit country for women and children trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labour”. Domestic workers, it said, came from southeast Asia and Africa, often lured under false promises of jobs and better living conditions. Some countries, such as the Philippines, have banned their citizens from seeking domestic work in Syria due to the lack of protection. Women from eastern Europe and Iraq are believed to be trafficked for sexual exploitation.

Influx of Iraqis

The influx of Iraqis following the war and sectarian strife in Iraq has been a huge impetus for the shelter in Syria. During interviews UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) officials identified refugees whom they suspected had been induced to enter the country under false pretences. Most were women and children.

“We will certainly be referring people,” said Carole Laleve, spokesperson for the UNHCR. “In 2008 we identified over 800 women who were victims of sexual gender-based violence. Some of those are thought to be victims of trafficking but we have no figures on how many. Anecdotal evidence suggests the victims in the Iraqi community are women, and the exploitation of a sexual nature.”

Evidence from other refugee organisations paints the same picture. The Good Shepherd Convent in Damascus has cared for Iraqi women who have been sold into prostitution by their own husbands, according to a report by syrian-news.com in 2005.

The Damascus shelter

Such agencies will refer victims to the Damascus shelter, which is run by the Association for Women’s Role Development (AWRD), a Syrian NGO.

“The shelter caters for residents’ daily needs - food, clothes and general care - as well as ongoing support,” says Tomeh. Victims of trafficking are frequently traumatised by their experience, compounded by being in a foreign country without family and friends and sometimes with no knowledge of the local language. The shelter, says Tomeh, will offer psychological support, medical and legal care.

Once more is known about the demographics of Syria’s share of the four million people the UN estimates to be the global figure of trafficked persons, more specific services can be put in place. “The Syrian government is very supportive,” says Tomeh. “Once the law is passed we will work to raise awareness and train judges and law enforcement officials.”

The current predicament of many victims, say NGOs who prefer anonymity, is to be stranded with few resources and even fewer rights, sometimes ending up in Syrian jails for lack of papers.

Workshops across the Middle East continue to raise awareness of people trafficking and counter-initiatives among NGOs and governments. The Arab League has also proposed an initiative to work towards an Arab convention against human trafficking, with ministers due to meet in Saudi Arabia later in 2009.

Copyright © IRIN 2009

The material contained on www.IRINnews.org comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian news and information service, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies.

All IRIN material may be reposted or reprinted free-of-charge; refer to the IRIN copyright page for conditions of use. IRIN is a project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

World in denial about trafficking, says UN

By Archie Bland

Friday, 13 February 2009

Many of the world's governments are in denial about the extent and seriousness of human trafficking in which women are often significant offenders, according to a report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The study is the first comprehensive look at the world's trade in humans, drawing on evidence from 155 countries. It warns that the failure to prosecute modern-day slave traders means that efforts to fight the practice are severely hampered. And it draws the conclusion that in many countries most traffickers are female.

"It's sick that we should even need to write a report about slavery in the 21st century," said UNODC's executive director, Antonio Maria Costa. The report found many countries, including China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, failed to collect useful data on the problem.

Global conviction rates for human trafficking remain as low as 1.5 per 100,000 people. While a fifth of countries, many of them African, have no such offence on their books, the problems extend to many countries which have legislation in place: nearly 40 per cent of the countries examined have failed to record a single conviction.

"The problem is enforcement," said Tomoya Obokata, an expert in human trafficking, at Queens University Belfast. "Law enforcement officers just don't know the legislation, and they can't identify what trafficking is."

In eastern Europe and central Asia, women account for 60 per cent of the traffickers, many of them former slaves themselves, the report said.

The British Government has seen 79 of the 217 prosecutions brought against traffickers between 2004 and 2007 result in a conviction. "We are doing fine in the global context," said Dr Obokata. "But the conviction rate is low when you think of the number of victims."

The report's publication is part of a wider UN effort to turn the spotlight on the issue. Yesterday the actress Mira Sorvino was named a goodwill ambassador to combat the problem.

Article from Women Asylum News, Issue No 80, February 09

RWRP case: Trafficking of a minor

This article documents a recent RWRP case.

The case involves a young girl who had been forced to work in the sex industry from the age of 11. The case has been ongoing for a number of years and several complications and errors have occurred. RWRP have now secured humanitarian protection for the girl and this article will discuss the details and process below.
For this article the girl involved will be referred to as ‘M.’
Case details
M is a minor born in Ghana who was orphaned from birth. At age 11 M was taken to Uganda by a man who promised money and new clothes. Shortly after arrival in Uganda, M was raped and forced to work as a domestic help where she continued to be physically and sexually abused until she ran away. M befriended prostitutes and ended up working in the sex industry in Uganda for over a year. During this time, M’s pimp promised her that she could go to school abroad and made arrangements for her to have a passport and visa. The age on the passport was 24, therefore M’s pimp organised her to dress up and look older.
When M arrived in the UK she was immediately given to a group of men who detained and repeatedly sexually assaulted her for weeks. M managed to escape and for over a year and half lived with different people she met on the streets. M stated with one couple as a babysitter; however, the husband began to sexually abuse her so she left.

Arrest and First Application for Asylum
M was arrested in November 2006 by police in South East London. Directions were set for her removal to Ghana, however as she applied for a visa from Uganda and had a Ugandan passport the removal to Ghana was suspended. M claimed asylum under Ugandan nationality and her asylum application was fast tracked. An asylum organization represented her at her asylum interview however they refused to represent her further and consequently she represented
herself at the appeal in Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre.

Civil Claim and Judicial Review
On 21st December 2006, M was advised that removal would take place on 4th January 2007; however removal did not proceed due to an incident between her and the security guards on transit to the airport. A civil claim was pursued against the security guards by her civil liberties
lawyers. A judicial review application was lodged on grounds that her removal was unlawful. These lawyers also referred her to The Poppy Project as they believed she had been trafficked into the UK. M was assessed by the Poppy Project in March 2007 and in their view she was a victim of trafficking, an issue not considered by the Immigration Judge in her claim. The Poppy
Project referred the case to RWRP.

Fresh application for asylum
RWRP took instructions from M in which she gave details of her background; sexual
abuse as a child; working as a child prostitute; sexual abuse in the UK; fear of her pimp in Uganda and her lack of understanding of the asylum process in the UK. RWRP referred M to a
paediatrician for an age assessment who concluded that M was a minor. M was also
examined by numerous mental health experts who concluded that she was suffering from a ‘complex posttraumatic stress disorder’ and they too concluded she was a minor. RWRP submitted the evidence in line with paragraph 353 of the Immigration Rules which states that:
“when a human rights or asylum claim has been refused or withdrawn or treated as withdrawn under paragraph 333C of these Rules and any appeal relating to that claim is no longer
pending, the decision maker will consider any further submissions and, if rejected, will then determine whether they amount to a fresh claim. The submissions will amount to a fresh claim
if they are significantly different from the material that has previously been considered.”
Expert reports including psychiatric and psychological reports were gathered and
served with the representations for asylum. A fresh claim was submitted in July 2007 and RWRP argued if M was returned to Uganda, she would be at risk of re-trafficking. The human rights arguments centred on her mental health and the risk of attempted suicide; risk of
further child prostitution on arrival and her physical and moral integrity. In respect of Ghana, it was also argued that she would be at risk of trafficking. For both countries, RWRP argued that internal relocation was not an option due to her profile as an orphaned, poor, vulnerable, female minor with a mental disorder and no familial support.
Procedurally, RWRP argued that there were a number of [recognised] barriers deterring M from being willing to reveal and report officially the details of her exploitation at the first instance. Although no reports were available at that stage of her case (notably, she was unrepresented)
RWRP argued there was a duty to reasonably assess whether M was a minor.
Notably all parties who had interviewed M after her first application stated that her appearance and demeanour provided a strong indication that she was a minor. Furthermore, M had said that she was a child prostitute and the initial decision makers were neither mindful nor sensitive to this issue and failed to give the anxious scrutiny required in such cases. In RWRP’s submission, if scrutiny of age and trafficking had been sufficiently assessed a different decision would have been reached about the Fast Track and detention process which could have influenced her asylum application. RWRP concluded that the process was unfair and the findings of the Secretary of State and the Immigration Judge cannot be relied on.

Delay
After submitting her fresh application to the Home Office in July 2007, the Home Office misplaced her file and did not acknowledge nor respond to any of the representations lodged for over a year until ECPAT UK intervened. M was invited for an interview in August 2008 but the
interview was deferred after it was identified that M’s file had been misplaced and there was no information on M’s case.
The interview was re-scheduled for September 2008 and M was informed that a decision would be made as soon as possible. The decision to grant M Humanitarian Protection was finally served
in January 2009.

Grant
According to the decision letter, the Home Office accepted that the representations amounted to a fresh application for asylum and although they refused the refugee protection aspect of the case, they accepted that M had given a credible account and that she would be at risk of treatment contrary to Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. M was granted humanitarian protection for 5 years leave to remain.

Human Trafficking in the West Midlands: Conference Evaluation

Held on Friday 12 December 2008

Several SAHT members attended this conference last December in Birmingham. Here is the evaluation for those interested!

The Objectives of the conference were to:

· provide information about signs of trafficking to individuals and groups who may encounter trafficked people.

· examine and challenge the culture in which trafficking takes place.

· develop collaboration and joint actions in response to trafficking in the region.

Overall the event successfully met its objectives and provides a potential springboard for the development of future action on Human Trafficking in the West Midlands.

Participants

The Conference achieved its aim to bring together participants from statutory, commercial and third sectors whose activities are likely to bring them, or their colleagues, into contact with trafficked people. The statutory and third sectors were well represented, but the commercial sector had least representation. This could be an area for future focus – as human trafficking affects the commercial sector and countering human trafficking could be improved by greater participation by commercial organisations (especially in relation to their supply chains).

The following categories/organisations were represented at the conference:

• Health, Police, UK Border Agency, Education, Children’s and Social Services
• Students (University and Theological)
• Policy makers, NGOs
• Community and faith leaders

107 participants were involved in the conference, exceeding the target (100 participants). A list of the roles/organisations participants represented at the conference is attached (appendix 1).

The conference was supported by many organisations including those whose logos appear in the publicity and programme for the day (attached). We also had messages of support from local MPs Richard Burden and Clare Short..

Programme

Survey

A survey was used at the beginning of the conference (appendix 2). The results (from 35 respondents) revealed wide variations and some serious gaps in knowledge and confidence.

Definitions of Human Trafficking ranged from comprehensive to very limited (eg only involving sexual exploitation, or limited to women/women and children) and misleading (people entering another country without legal paperwork).

Respondents were split almost equally between those who would know who to contact in the case of human trafficking and those who would not know.

With regard to taking steps to ensure that victims could immediately be made safe and offered support, almost two thirds of respondents did not feel confident that they would identify a process which would be effective.

With regard to accurate identification of trafficked persons, almost ¾ of respondents would not feel confident.

All but one respondent had come across trafficking 5 or less times during the past year. Many of these may not have come across trafficking at all, however more than half the respondents felt they were likely to encounter trafficking for forced labour (60%) sexual exploitation (60%) or domestic servitude (54%).

Nearly half the respondents felt that they represented organisations which could be equipped to deal with forced labour/human trafficking.

Additional resources, especially information, were identified as being necessary to equip organisations to counter human trafficking more effectively.

Main Speakers and Workshops

Sue Anderson (Cabinet member for adults and communities, Birmingham City Council) provided the initial input, talking about her concerns about the issue and her commitment to taking actions necessary to eradicate human trafficking, especially in relation to the buying and selling of women for sex.

Steve Titterton (UK Human Trafficking Centre) stepped in at late notice to replace Ron Craigie who was ill. Steve talked about the UK context, with a brief look at trafficking for forced labour and stories of trafficking in the west midlands followed by a brief address on signs which might indicate human trafficking is taking place in different contexts. Steve stated that the UKHTC’s first priority is victim rescue, followed by tackling trafficking networks and prosecution.

Klara Skrivankova (Anti Slavery International) gave a talk on the international context of trafficking, what constitutes trafficking, and the UK action plan in relation to the signing of the UN Convention on Trafficking (due in January) with the subsequent minimum standards of care offered to all victims. In the UK this will include 45 days for victims’ recovery and reflection, during which time accommodation and support will be offered

All participants heard information which could help identify signs of trafficking in the West Midlands, the impact of trafficking (locally and globally) and what local and national politicians were thinking about the issues. 25% of responses to what was the most useful thing about the conference identified one or more of the main speakers.

As planned, workshops took place in relation to:

• Labour: Klara Skrivankova (Anti Slavery International)
• Law - Legal Issues: Ian Frost (Crown Prosecution Service)
• Sexual Exploitation and Tackling demand
  (i) Sexual Exploitation and Parents: Cat Gerry (CROP)
  (ii) Sex Trafficking: From Global Markets To Individuals: Tackling Demand And Caring For Survivors: Colin Darling and Fr Raphael Farmour (CHASTE)
• Safe spaces and returning home: Sally Montier (Poppy Project)
• Child Trafficking: Nicola Clarke and Safia Mun (Children’s Society)
• Taking risks to counter trafficking: Gary Hall and Rezarta Kardellena (Open Horizon)
• Developing educational resources: facilitated by Clare Daley (WMSMP)

In addition a workshop was offered on

• Challenging culture: Challenging Attitudes Embedded In Cultures Which Make the Possibility Of Trafficking Greater, e.g. Domestic Slavery: May Ikeora (Afruca)
  
  

Each workshop participant was invited to fill in a pledge form as a result of the workshops or the day in general. We received 50 (appendix 5) many of them specific and practical – so difficult to summarise. For example there were pledges to:

• feature an article on trafficking in the Barbershop Magazine
• develop a Daphne III bid
• extend accommodation to support victims.

25% of responses specifically identified a workshop or the workshops generally as the most useful part of the day. The legal issues workshop was highlighted for its usefulness.

More feedback on workshop and speaker content is included in appendix 3, and also in the evaluation summary (appendix 4)

Networking and Response Panel

Space was provided for networking over lunch with stands/information available from some key services and organisations including CROP, UKHTC,IOM, WMSMP. This opportunity to network and gain information about trafficking and organisations was appreciated (appendix 4).

A response panel including representatives from ASIRT, UKBA, UKHTC, and CPS were able to respond to questions and offer reflections on the day, which included positive indications that members of the panel and participants had found the day informative and useful.

Evaluation summary (appendix 4)

The final evaluation which was completed by 51 participants. All the responses received indicated that objectives for the day had been fully (74%) or partially met and that the event was useful (90%) or parts of the day were useful (remainder).

Things that people would have changed about the day focused mainly on timings and perhaps the desire for more information. In particular people would have liked more time for workshops. It is perhaps indicative of a wider gap in provision of focused, accurate and relevant information that there was such a demand for it.

Looking forward, all those who responded to the question whether they would be interested in a follow up event said that they would.

There were many pledges and actions which agencies and individuals were committed to take forward (see appendix 4, bullet 6 and appendix 5).

Budget and Cost Reimbursement

We are hopeful that when all the expenses and donations have been received this conference will be fully paid for. So far we have been promised £500 from the Safer Birmingham Partnership and we are hopeful of a grant of £250 from the CPS as well as donations from Believing in Birmingham. We have received individual donations of money towards work on trafficking which, if necessary, could be used to cover conference costs. The generosity of Carrs Lane Church Centre and the donations of time from many organisations and individuals was crucial to the success of this conference. Final figures for the expenses etc. will be available when all grants have been paid and donations and expenses received. We are grateful to the staff of Methodist Central Mission for their support and willingness to process payments.

SAHT DEBATE: Thursday 12th of february

Open Discussion #1: Victimization vs. Agency

Thursday, February 12th, 3:30 pm
Russel Building Room 29

Agency refers to someone's ability or capacity to enact a decision he/she's made.
The purpose of this meeting is to explore the common conception of trafficking persons as 'victims', and to discuss the notion of 'choice'. To what extent are these individuals shaping their own destinies? Is it possible to choose to be exploited? What does exploitation mean anyway? we look forward to a lively debate!

UPCOMING EVENTS !!!!

"The Jammed" (2007) Film Screening
BEWARE - CHANGE OF TIME

Friday, January 30th at 12am
Large AV Viewing Room, Library

Inspired by court transcripts and actual events, THE JAMMED is a social thriller about trafficking and the sex slave trade in Melbourne. When a Chinese mother arrives in Melbourne to find her missing daughter, she enlists the help of Ashley Hudson. Ashley reluctantly agrees to help search, and is soon drawn into the dark underworld of this cultural city as she tries to rescue three girls from a trafficking syndicate. As the story unravels the sinister workings of illegal prostitution and governmental deportation is filled with twists and surprises.

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Open Discussion #1: Victimization vs. Agency

Thursday, February 12th, 3:30 pm
Russel Building Room 29

Agency refers to someone's ability or capacity to enact a decision he/she's made.
The purpose of this meeting is to explore the common conception of trafficking persons as 'victims', and to discuss the notion of 'choice'. To what extent are these individuals shaping their own destinies? Is it possible to choose to be exploited? What does exploitation mean anyway? we look forward to a lively debate!

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Trafficking Awareness Week

Monday May 4 - Friday May 9
University of Sussex Campus

Join us for a week of activities and discussion on the important issues related to human trafficking. SAHT will host academics and NGO speakers, hold film screenings, and engage in debates around this controversial and important issue.

More info will be made available at: http.//studentsagainsthumantrafficking.blogspot.com.

BRAINSTORMING

On december 14th, SAHT held its last 2008 meeting... We figured it was time to brainstorm...

We wrote TRAFFICKING on a board and asked all present to throw words out there... anything that made sense and had a link to trafficking.. We then identified several dichotomies that we wish to develop in the future.. either through other brainstorming meetings, literature review and sharing, or by inviting speakers at our meetings... This will be decided and communicated very soon!

Here are the results of the session:

Trafficking

Stereotypes
Empirically problematic
Illegality
Victimization
Political agendas
Exploitations
Work vs. not work
Slavery
Vulnerability
Middle (wo)men
smuggling vs. trafficking
Corruption
International crime
Social networks
Agency
Supply & Demand
Inhuman
Immigration control
Children Camel jockeys
Prostitution
Risky work
Forced Political / academic trend

Dichotomies

(1) Vulnerability / victimization vs. Agency
(2) Supply vs. Demand
(3) Slavery vs. Labour
(4) Political agendas / borer control vs. Illegality
(5) Feminization / masculinization vs. Stereotypes
(6) Visibility vs. Invisibility
(7) Trafficking vs. Smuggling

Refugees and Trafficking Nightmare

UNHCR News Stories

A childhood of rape and exploitation ends mercifully with a new life in Canada

DAMASCUS, Syria, Dec. 31 (UNHCR) – For any refugee, the chance to begin a new life in Canada is a coveted prize. But for Hiba,* wearing a huge smile as she approaches the departure gate at Damascus airport, the plane she's about to board means leaving behind the unimaginable horror of rape, exploitation, human trafficking and prison – a lifetime of torment lived by the age of 17.

Hiba's fate seemed to have been sealed when her mother left her with her father in Baghdad when she was just seven. When she was 15, he forced her into a mutaa marriage, or temporary marriage, with a cousin.

Under this traditional local custom, Hiba was informally married to her cousin for 48 hours, but he abandoned her after satisfying his lust. Her father refused to take her back.

Instead, he persuaded her they could find her mother in Syria, and set out to meet her. At the Iraqi-Syrian border, Hiba went to the restroom, only to discover her father was gone when she came out. Little did she know her father had sold her to a stranger. Hiba's nightmare was just beginning.

Trapped in a country where she knew no one, Hiba had no choice but to put her trust in the man who claimed he would protect her. Instead he brought her other men, who raped her in turn. A few days later she was taken to a club in Damascus, taught to belly dance provocatively to attract customers' attention, and was forced into sex work for nearly two years.

When she became pregnant, though, Hiba's captors abandoned her, leaving her on the streets to fend for herself. She was soon found by local social workers and put into the Damascus rehabilitation center for minors. Hiba felt safe for the first time in years and was comforted by the social workers at the center. It was clear that this could not become home though.

"When I first arrived, I was scared and terrified by what was going to happen to me next," Hiba said. "Soon, I was reassured by the presence of other girls in similar situations. We became sisters, they replaced my family. I also realized I was not an isolated case. A lot of girls need help and assistance."

Hiba remained in the centre for several weeks before being identified by a Syrian social worker who reported her plight to the UNHCR office in Damascus, which submitted her case urgently for resettlement. Canada answered the emergency call.

UNHCR protection officers say that in many asylum countries, an increasing number of Iraqi women and girls are being forced into sex work against their will, or are turning to it in desperation for economic reasons.

Aseer Al Madaien, UNHCR Protection Officer in Damascus, says UNHCR works hard to find women like Hiba who are being exploited. "With the support of Syrian institutions, we are constantly trying to increase our efforts in terms of prevention," says Al Madaien. "We are counting on the support of local partners, government offices and NGOs specifically targeting women at risk."

On the last day of 2008, the Syrian Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour and the International Organization for Migration announced the establishment of the first shelter for victims of trafficking like Hiba. It aims to provide a safe haven for survivors of trafficking, with Iraqi women and their children being one of the target groups for assistance. This project, which also involves other UN agencies and local NGOs aims to build referral networks for survivors and it is hoped that other shelters will be established in the future.

According to the Syrian government, there are around 1.2 million Iraqi refugees in Syria, of whom more than 220,000 are registered with the UN refugee agency. Of these, more than 2,800 are women at risk. In 2007, UNHCR in Syria requested resettlement countries to accept 945 women and children at risk, but would like to find places in third countries for even more.

For Hiba, the future is finally looking brighter. Living safely in Canada now with a foster family, she recently gave birth to a baby girl whom she named Zaman, which means "time". Perhaps Hiba was thinking of the time ahead of her – time to recover, time to heal and time to start a new life

By Dalia al-Achi
in Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic

* Name changed for protection reasons

http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/495b6a2d4.html

Three arrested in human trafficking crackdown

The Independent
By Ellen Branagh, PA
Tuesday, 18 November 2008

Authorities today cracked down on a human trafficking gang in what is thought to be the largest operation of its kind ever in the UK, police said.
More than 200 staff from nine different organisations took part in the crackdown on the organised crime group believed to be trafficking people into the UK for cheap labour.

Three men were arrested this morning at a field near Holbeach, South Lincolnshire, on suspicion of human trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation.
Northamptonshire Police said more than 60 men and women from Eastern European countries including Poland and Lithuania had been taken to Kettering, Northants, where they are now being treated as potential witnesses and victims.
Officers also searched 21 houses in Kettering and across the Midlands as well as a business premises in Market Harborough, Leics.
A spokeswoman said four men and a woman had also been arrested on suspicion of people trafficking and money laundering.

The huge crackdown, codenamed Operation Ruby, involved the East Midlands Foreign National Crime Team, Northamptonshire Police, the UK Human Trafficking Centre, the UK Borders Agency, the Migrant Helpline, Serious Organised Crime Agency and the Gangmasters Licensing Authority.

It centres on allegations people were recruited through advertisements and agencies in Eastern Europe to travel to the UK on the promise of work.
When they arrived, it is thought their documents were taken from them and a proportion of their wages was withheld to pay for housing and transport costs.
Det Supt Glyn Timmins, director of Investigations at Northamptonshire Police, co-ordinated today's operation.
He said it was the culmination of months of liaison, investigation and planning involving the agencies.
He said: "This has been a co-ordinated, large-scale operation as part of an investigation into the activities of what we believe is an organised crime group that has exploited people as cheap labour in fields across this region.

"The fact that so many organisations have come together to act in this way is a demonstration of how seriously we take our responsibility to support people who have been exploited in this way and to disrupt this unacceptable activity."

Nick Kinsella, chief executive of the UK Human Trafficking Centre said they had provided "tactical and strategic advice" and Simon Excell, UK Border Agency regional deputy director, added: "Human trafficking of any kind, whether for sexual or labour exploitation, is an appalling crime where people are treated as commodities and traded for profit.

"It is a modern form of slavery. But both UKBA and the police are determined, with our specialist foreign national crime teams, to stamp it out and catch the ringleaders."
He said they were taking tough action against employers who hire illegal migrants - naming and shaming them, imposing heavy fines, prosecuting and imprisoning them when appropriate.
More than 60 officers from the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) were involved in the operation today.
Soca deputy director Andy Baker said: "Soca is also determined to tackle human trafficking by focusing on the countries migrants come from and the ones they travel through.

"We are working closely with our international partners to increase the risk to serious organised criminals in other countries and reduce the profitability of their activities."
Paul Whitehouse, Chairman of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority added: "Protecting vulnerable workers and dealing with rogue gangmasters is what we do.
"The action taken today shows that no gangmaster can get away with this abuse, the GLA and our colleagues in other agencies are watching and will deal with the unscrupulous individuals that use their control over the lives of their workers to cause misery."
The crackdown also involved Kettering Borough Council and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Both helped police search premises in Kettering where it is believed workers were living in overcrowded and unsafe conditions.

Luke Hodson, of Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Inter-agency action such as this is vital and today's operation could be one of the most valuable life-saving pieces of work we carry out between now and Christmas."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/three-arrested-in-human-trafficking-crackdown-1023871.html

UK policy against Human Trafficking: a step backward ?

The Independent – 10.11.2008
Police team that investigated tide of human traffic is closed

Investigators who saved victims of prostitution and child labour have funds withdrawn by Home Office

By Emily Dugan

JOHN STILLWELL/PA

Prostitutes cover their faces during a raid on an illegal brothel. Many women are forced into the trade each year in Britain by human traffickers

Trafficking police unit is being shut down just a year after it was set up because of Home Office spending cuts, The Independent has learnt.

The Metropolitan Police's Human Trafficking Team will cease work next year because its budget has been withdrawn following the decision by the Home Office to cut its yearly funding for human trafficking investigations from £4m to £1.7m.

Politicians and trafficking experts expressed anger at the Home Office's decision, saying it will leave a "gaping hole" in the policing of the crime. Privately, the police themselves are said to be furious about the decision.

The Met's Human Trafficking Team was set up in March 2007 and was designed to actively target gangs who bring women to the UK as sex slaves and children as forced labourers. It is estimated that more than 4,000 people are currently in the UK as a result of having been trafficked.

Britain is considered to be the destination of choice for gangs bringing women into the country from eastern Europe, China, Malaysia, Africa and South America to work in brothels.

It is notoriously difficult to convict criminals for human trafficking, but as the only specialist operational team in the country, the Met's dedicated human trafficking centre had claimed a series of successes.

News of the closure came as the unit claimed another major success last week which saw six sex traffickers jailed for a combined total of 52 years for deceiving a Slovakian teenager into a life of prostitution.

The Home Office yesterday insisted that the funding for the unit was always intended to be time-limited. However, when it was launched last year, the Home Office made no mention of this. Instead, the Home Office minister, Vernon Coaker, said: "This new team will be a specialist unit dedicated to targeting the global criminal networks that profit from this modern day slave trade. Those involved in the trafficking of men, women and children can expect to feel the full weight of the law."

The closure of the Met team has been met with anger. Critics say that it shows the Government is neglecting to take the proper steps to combat those involved in the trafficking trade.

The Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, Chris Huhne, said he was "appalled" by the news, adding: "This is going to leave a gaping hole in investigating crimes that cause untold hardship to many thousands of people. Just as the unit was beginning to have real successes, the Home Office has pulled the rug out from under it. This is a terribly sad and foolish decision."

Christine Beddoe, director of End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking UK, said that as the entry point for the majority of trafficked people into the UK, London needed a dedicated team to combat the crime nationwide. "It's not just a local issue; London is an important gateway for traffickers across the UK.

"It's a really big blow and it contradicts so much of what the Government is saying about safeguarding victims of trafficking," added Ms Beddoe. "It's the only specialist operational team on human trafficking we have had."

Many anti-trafficking organisations say they are baffled by the timing of the team's closure, so soon after they had secured such notable prosecutions. Simon Chorley, of the pressure group Stop The Traffik, said: "The team were highly respected in terms of human trafficking; to close them down now is unfathomable."

The shadow Home Secretary, Dominic Grieve, said: "This is more evidence that despite the Government's rhetoric, they are not serious about tackling the scourge of human trafficking which ruins too many lives and shames our nation."

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said: "The Met's Human Trafficking Team was launched in March 2007 as a result of being fully funded by money from the Home Office. From April 2009 that money will no longer be available and the Met does not have the additional funds to keep the team running in its current format whilst meeting other policing requirements."

A Home Office spokesman confirmed the unit was shutting but insisted that combating human trafficking remained a key priority. "The Association of Chief Police Officers has been able to administer a pot of some £4m last year and £1.7m this year to cover spending by forces," he said.

"This funding was always intended to be time-limited to support forces in mainstreaming organised immigration crime work, including that on human trafficking."

Case study 'I was kept locked in at all times'

*Ada, from Sierra Leone, was 23 when she was trafficked to the UK and forced into prostitution. She had been disowned by her parents in Africa after converting to Christianity and planned a new life in Britain with her boyfriend.

The couple moved to London. Ada, not her real name, said: "I was very happy. I thought I was leaving the past behind me and starting again." But she was met at the airport by three men and taken to a house where she was raped by one of them. Her boyfriend left and went back to Africa while Ada was forced to work in a brothel for the next six months.

She added: "There were five other women there. I had to have sex with two or three men a day and I was kept locked in at all times. I was completely exhausted as I had to see customers at whatever time they came to the brothel, so I was often woken up in the middle of the night.

"The men had guns and I was threatened a lot with physical violence, so I was afraid to say no. I was also too afraid to ask the customers for help because the men told me they would find out and kill me."

Eventually Ada escaped during a New Year party. She added: "I find it very hard to trust people now and I do not like myself. I can't believe my boyfriend did this to me."

Mark Hughes
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/police-team-that-investigated-tide-of-human-traffic-is-closed-1006612.html