news
February 2010 Update: On December 23rd 2009 Anti-Slavery International called on high street fashion retailers Zara and H&M to stop selling clothes made with cotton from Uzbekistan. Anti-Slavery International have highlighted that around half of the cotton picked in Uzbekistan is picked by forced child labour. Unchosen organisers attended the launch of this campaign at Amnesty Head Office in London on 8th October 2009. http://antislaveryinternational.org/english/press_and_news/news_and_press_releases_2009/231209_child_slavery_and_christmas
_jumpers.aspx H&M have made a statement in reply to the announcement by Anti-Slavery which can be read here. http://www.hm.com/us/corporateresponsibility/supplychainworkingconditions/supplychainmonitoring/cottonfromuzbekistan__monitoringarticle5.nhtml The following website provides more information about companies which continue to use cotton from this region, as well as those companies which have ceased to use cotton from Uzbekistan in their products until the labour practices change. http://www.cottoncampaign.org/ Consumers have a considerable amount of influence on retailers. Boycotts and pressure against companies can and do work in making them change their practices and policies.
An article in The Guardian from 15th January draws attention to a report by Eaves, entitled ‘Men who buy sex: who they buy and what they know’ which is essential reading for those engaged in tackling trafficking for sexual exploitation. More than one third of men interviewed said they thought they had visited prostitutes in London who were trafficked. One man interviewed suspected that an African woman he met was trafficked, he explained,
‘She was frightened and nervous. She told me she had been tricked. I had sex with her and she seemed fine with the sex. She asked me to help her, but I said there was little I could do. She might have been lying to me.’
The Guardian article can be accessed here http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/jan/15/why-men-use-prostitutes and a link to the report is available here http://www.eaves4women.co.uk/Documents/Recent_Reports/Men%20Who%20Buy%20Sex.pdf
On Wednesday 20th January the House of Commons discussed human trafficking in the United Kingdom. The minutes cover what the UK government has been doing recently to tackle human trafficking. Interestingly, Anthony Steen, the Conservative member of parliament for Totnes mentions his private members bill (due to have its second reading on February 5th) calling for a national anti-slavery day which would draw attention to the existence of contemporary slavery in the UK and around the world. (Unchosen know this to already exist 18.10.10) The minutes also feature comments from MP’s who are concerned about the closure of the Metropolitan police trafficking unit. It is important that the issue of human trafficking receives cross party support. Tackling human trafficking requires the concern and efforts of all sides of the House of Commons. The verbatim minutes are available to read here http://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2010-01-20a.103.0 afraid bureaucracy
Following the terrible events of the Haiti earthquake there has been reporting from various news organisations that the situation is being taken advantage of to traffick children. On Friday 22nd The Guardian reported that a UNICEF spokesman had told the press that 15 children had gone missing from hospitals and were presumed to have been taken. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/22/haiti-warning-child-trafficking However an article in the Huffington Post highlights that before the earthquake the number of children in Haiti in forced labour was over 300,000. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eve-blossom/haiti-human-trafficking-o_b_436412.html In the rebuilding and restructuring of Haiti such a situation must not be allowed to be replicated.
To respond hit our blog or email patrick@unchosen.org.uk
November 2009, update. In local news Bristol City Council held a scrutiny day on human trafficking on Tuesday 24th November. The event was attended by various stakeholders involved in human trafficking, which included Unchosen. DI Richard Budd made a presentation on the current police investigation of the problem of human trafficking within the city; Dr Christien van den Anker’s presentation explained what is being done both internationally and locally in combating human trafficking. There was also a presentation by a representative from the Dublin Migrants Rights Centre. Bristol City Council is continuing to respond to the problem of human trafficking. Bristol is recognised as an area in which local people and organisations are taking proactive steps in the ongoing campaign to tackle human trafficking and protect those people who are trafficked.
In national news Mayor of London Boris Johnson will be handing a petition with 1,800 signatures to the Metropolitan police calling on them not to close its specialist human trafficking unit. The specialist human trafficking unit is recognised as an example of good practice in investigating the crime of trafficking human beings. It is highly important that the unit should remain active. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23775326-call-to-save-met-trafficking-unit.do
In further national news, 13 people have been arrested following Operation Ruby which has been of the UK’s biggest police operations against the crime of human trafficking. 200 staff from across 9 separate police units have been involved in the operation. It has also been alleged that £10 million has been laundered through different companies to hide the existence of trafficking. One hopes that if this is true then this money will be confiscated by the police under the 2002 Proceeds of Crime Act and used to compensate those people who have been exploited. The money could also well be used to provide support services and accommodation for other trafficked persons in the United Kingdom. More details about the operation and those arrested can be found at the following link, http://www.recruiter.co.uk/thirteen-charged-under-operation-ruby/1003483.article
Tessa Jowell the Olympic Minister has spoken in Parliament this month about identifying appropriate action to take to prevent a surge in human trafficking in the run up to the 2012 London Olympics. She said she would enter into discussions with relevant stakeholders and experts on the issue. http://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/ByDiscipline/Social-Care/967690/Plan-prevent-2012-traffickers/ This is a positive revelation as previously government spokespersons had been in denial about the possibility of an increase of people being trafficked into the UK in the build up to the Olympics. However a report by the Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women offers evidence to the contrary, at least in respect of women trafficked for sexual exploitation. The report makes no reference to trafficking for forced labour. (http://bccec.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/gaatw_2010olympics1.pdf) To respond hit our blog or email patrick@unchosen.org.uk
Thursday 22nd October 2009. In European wide news, The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Saatchi and Saatchi Switzerland have collaborated to produce a website, print media and television advertising to make consumers think about who produces the products which they buy and the circumstances in which these products are made. Consumers have a substantial amount of power as was illustrated with the successful campaign to make Cadburys go free trade. The link to the rather impressively designed website is provided here, www.buyresponsibly.org
In British news, there has been widespread condemnation in the British media in the last few weeks regarding the decision to abolish the Metropolitan police’s specialist human trafficking unit. The unit is regarded very highly and is considered an example of good practice in responding to the human rights violation and crime of human trafficking. Mary Honeyball, Labour MEP wrote a highly interesting article in the Guardian on the issue. She wrote,
“To demote the issue of human trafficking, when it is recognised by Interpol as the third largest crime after drugs and arms trafficking, shows not only contempt for the victims of this horrific crime but also for the members of this police unit who are internationally regarded as an example of good practice.”
This lack of commitment to the problem of human trafficking is deeply troubling. It once again reflects the stark contrast between the rhetoric and language used by the government and authorities which suggests a commitment to human rights and tackling human trafficking with the reality of the actions and inactions of government and relevant authorities. She has created a petition to keep the trafficking unit. I would urge all those reading this to sign the petition. It can be found at the following address, http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/specialtraffickingunit/
The link to the article is available here, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/07/police-human-trafficking-unit
The latest figures from the National Referral Mechanism have just been published by the UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) The UKHTC was established in October 2006 and is based in Sheffield. It is a multi-agency centre that works with a variety of stakeholders in human trafficking. The UKHTC then collates all of the trafficking referrals that are brought to its attention through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). The quarterly data from 1st July to 30th September shows that a total of 199 trafficked persons were discovered. The figures show that roughly 75% of these people were female, with 88 of these females identified as having been trafficked for sexual exploitation (22 of these were minors). A further 31 females were trafficked for domestic service. The figures also show 34 males trafficked for forced labour. The figures also show again the high numbers of people trafficked from China (28) and Vietnam (19) and Nigeria (35) However, what may come as a shock to many people is the large number of UK nationals amongst these trafficked persons. Of the 199 trafficked persons, 22 were from the UK. Those who are likely to come into contact with trafficked persons must be aware that trafficking can and does occur internally. The first responders to these trafficked persons are also recorded by the NRM. The UK Border Agency (UKBA) was the first responder in 48% of the cases and the Police Services was first responder in 27% of the cases. As these two groups are the most likely to make first contact with trafficked persons, it is absolutely essential that they have the appropriate training in knowing how to respond accordingly to those people who have suffered serious violations of their human rights. A category that would be very useful would be a geographical breakdown of where these trafficked persons were discovered to identify specific regions where they might be a high prevalence of trafficking activity. The full data can be found here, http://www.ukhtc.org/sites/default/files/NRM%20Data%201st%20July%20to%2030th%20September%20-%20Final%20for%20Publication.doc
In Bristol news, the Bristol Roundtable anti-trafficking group met at the Pierian Centre on Friday the 9th October. The group consisted of a wide range of stakeholders and people interested in the problem of human trafficking in Bristol and beyond. Dr Christien van den Anker from the University of the West of England led the group that also featured representation from Bristol City Council, local NGOs Unchosen and Unseen. There were also national NGOs in attendance including Stop the Traffik and Anti Slavery International. There was also representation from Bristol Women’s Forum and the Bristol Fawcett Society. The group split into workshops and discussed separate topics that were later brought back the group as a whole. The group intends to be a positive force for change in Bristol and part of a much wider movement to address the problems of human trafficking in the South-West. The next meeting will be held at the Pierian Centre on December 4th. To respond hit our blog or email patrick@unchosen.org.uk
24th September 2009 This is the first of a new series of monthly updates on trafficking news. They will contain news and information regarding the struggle against human trafficking and links to recent publications and sources.
In European wide news, the Committee of the Parties of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings held its third meeting on Monday, 21 September 2009 at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. This meeting performed necessary technical duties, including electing its new Chair and Vice-Chair, whilst also discussing topics and debates regarding human trafficking. It also shared a discussion with the President of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA). In positive news, Slovenia ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Being on the 3rd September. It will enter into force on the 1st of January 2010. Slovenia will join the 26 other European countries that have already ratified this convention. This is very encouraging news as this Convention contains many important obligations for the protection of trafficked persons and puts increased pressure on those countries still yet to ratify the convention (including Italy, Germany and Ireland) The text of the Convention can be found at http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/trafficking/Docs/Convntn/CETS197_en.asp#TopOfPage
In the United Kingdom, last month the UK government made its official written response to the sixth report of the Home Affairs Select Committee ‘The Trade in Human Beings: Human Trafficking in the UK’ This report was very detailed and asked tough questions of the government. One of the most positive outcomes from the government’s response was its confirmation that the 45 day reflection period will apply to all trafficked persons and not simply those trafficked for sexual exploitation. This is a significant step in ensuring that all trafficked persons are treated equally and should ensure the protection of trafficked men, as well as women not trafficked for the sex trade. However the 45 day reflection period is still far short of the 90 day recommendation advocated by many organisations as a minimum. The original report can be found here, http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmhaff/23/2302.htm and the government’s response is available here, http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm76/7693/7693.asp
In further news from the United Kingdom, there was an interesting article from The Hounslow Chronicle from September 23rd on the arrest of seven men believed to be involved in human trafficking. Sadly the article typifies all that is wrong with many peoples understanding on the subject of human trafficking and contains the common and confused misconceptions. First of all, the article uses the words ‘trafficking’ and ‘smuggling’ interchangeably, failing to comprehend the highly significant differences between the two terms. The article also makes no mention of what has happened to these potentially trafficked persons and where they are now. The article quotes Philip Astle, the UKBA's Heathrow director, as having said: “We believe we have disrupted a significant international organised criminal network, which aimed to assist people to enter the UK illegally.” I would take objection with the word ‘assist’ as this suggests that human traffickers are doing a favour to those that they are trafficking. However the exploitation, threat of violence or actual violence and deception which make up the reality of trafficking are far from helpful assistance. Finally this quote and the theme of the rest of the article only frame concern about illegal immigration, there is no reference to gross human rights violation or the suffering which these trafficked persons might have entailed. The link to this article is provided here, http://www.hounslowchronicle.co.uk/west-london-news/local-hounslow-news/2009/09/23/police-swoop-on-suspected-human-traffickers-109642-24752140/ To respond hit our blog or email patrick@unchosen.org.uk