Blackbright News on Human Trafficking

BLACK-B R I G H T

RAISING AWARENESS

Out of the Darkness...

into the Light...

Special Human Trafficking Edition “The commercial sexual exploitation of children is a large and growing concern around the world. Every year, thousands of children are coerced, kidnapped or tricked by traffickers or pimps into the sex trade. Even though commercially sexually exploited children are routinely arrested as prostitutes and charged with prostitution, every act of ‘prostitution’ where a child is involved, is actually an act of child abuse, rape and sexual ex(Source: C.H.A.S.E) ploitation.”

a little insight...

Black-Bright News™ is the voice for people who have felt stigmatised because of abuse of power and trust and in this issue, the focus is on human trafficking.

Over 150 years ago, Abraham Lincoln announced on 22 September 1862, that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist in America. It is, therefore, hard to believe that in 2015, countries are still having to enact laws and adopt policies to end slavery as a legal institution and as a criminal practice.

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude. The UN Palermo Protocol has made the abolition of modern slavery a part of international law and a policy-making priority.

We are now seeing governments all over the world working together to bring an end to it.

TM

ISSN No. 1751-1909 Is a Not-for-Profit Publication constructed to raise awareness of Human Trafficking in Luton and surrounding areas

Due to its illegal and hidden nature, there are no robust statistics on the number of people – adults or children – trafficked to or within the UK for the purposes of labour or sexual exploitation. Regarding modern slavery in the UK, in March 2013 the Centre for Social Justice Slavery Working Group said:

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“Our research shows that a large proportion of cases are never recognised or reported, and do not appear in any statistics, nor measures the size of the problem there is no consistent grip on the numbers. Agencies charged with such responsibility are groping in the dark for a sense of scale” In partnership with Blackbright Community Services Limited (BBCS4Luton) organisations can commission our workshops; refer to our psychosocial counselling services, or eligible persons can be referred to free counselling services. Individuals who wish to remain anonymous can ask questions privately or seek open advice by sharing their experience/situation in BlackBright News™. We also offer Life Coaching, Mentoring Programmes and motivational talks at competitive rates.

Founder & Managing Editor, Myrna Loy Photos taken from Google Images, except where supplied For previous issues, go to www.issuu.com/blackbrightnews PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.blackbrightcommunityservices,com

Black-Bright News™ is an award-winning global publication, based in Bedfordshire, that can be used as an information sharing tool; a resource to promote opportunities for debates and discussions, or as a learning resource to facilitate professional curiosity.

Blackbright News is printed annually by Mixam (UK)

Why not help print Blackbright News more regularly - Donations welcome

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Blackbright News is a nonpartisan, philanthropic publication, and as such, it takes no stand on public policy issues. Any opinions expressed in its publications are those of the authors and not of the publication.

The Paedophile

The world of human trafficking and child exploitation was taboo until recently - probably because, in the past, many adults had been complicit in nurturing its growth in one way or another.

Single parents have been known to offer their children up for sacrifice in an implied agreement with their romantic partners in order to gain financial support from them - it was seen as part and parcel of a relationship.

In many cases, biological parents have been accused of sexually abusing and exploiting their children. Children left with family members in home countries while parent(s) made a life for themselves elsewhere, were often left at the mercy of exploitative carers, who either made them work for their keep, or sexually abused them.

Sexual abuse of children continues to come as a surprise, and most of us believe it is happening “somewhere else”, which makes it difficult for communities to effectively identify and respond to the situation.

The number of children who live in an unsafe environment is increasing. Some children are not automatically safe with their parents, nor are they safe with strangers, so who do they turn to when the adults who are meant to protect them, are violating them and/or letting them down? From the child’s perspective, adults seem to be colluding because no-one is observing, listening, believing or protecting“. Children are accused of making things up, perpetrators are defended “s/he would never do a thing like that!”, “you have a wild imagination,” “you watch too much television…” Adults are reluctant to believe children who threaten an existing relationship that they are hell-bent on maintaining, so the child is forced to keep quiet, endure the abuse and die before death!

Information sharing and other collaborative efforts look promising, as advocates are now taking a proactive role in responding to human trafficking, female genital mutilation and child sexual exploitation. However, we need to continue to be intentional, constant and consistent with our approach and our responses. BBCS4Luton is commited to supporting victims, raising the voices of victims and survivors and assisting in creating a world where children have nothing to fear.

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Laughing, lying, leering; Pleeing, pleasing, playing with her hairs, I mean, her hair, placing her on his thing, I mean, his lap -"Come here, my dear" He would say "I want to hold you.

Don't be afraid.."

He managed to maneouver her panties aside, mummy had gone shopping, there was nowhere to hide.

He coaxed her into a corner, she wasn't sure what to do.

"Please stop, or I will tell mummy of you.."

Ignoring her whimpers, her cries for release; He cracked her mouth open with the force of his teeth; Probing his fingers, forced her legs astride, His thick clumsy fingers, had her petals on each side...

His massive erection bobbed with anticipation; violently throbbing, until it went dead with her sobbing, Leaving her with a promise that: "It won't hurt next time".

Judge jails traveller couple who kept vulnerable men as slaves

authority and intimidation were used and that, in the case of some of the victims the combination of their impoverished social contacts, their lowered self esteem and their fear of the determined violent revenge to which those who crossed the Connors family in any way were subject, meant that, although they were not always physically imprisoned, they lacked the resources, or even the will to get away from men who were corralling, exploiting and infantilising them” by making them sing “how much is that doggy in the window”

An Irish traveller and three of his sons were accused of making large amounts of money by holding vulnerable men in captivity and making them work for nothing.

Over 15 years Tommy Connors Senior and his family were said to have recruited men from homeless centres, soup kitchens and off the street with the offer of paid work, food and accommodation.

A jury of six women and six men at Luton Crown Court were told the men were made to carry out daily physical labour for the family’s block paving business and were threatened with violence if they asked for wages or tried to leave their ‘Spartan’ accommodation at the Green Acres Travellers’ Site, Little Billington, near Leighton Buzzard.

Prosecutor Ben Gumpert said: “Typically recruitment would take place at centres for the homeless, soup kitchens or simply on the street. After, these individuals have been held against their will and have been forced to work for the Connors’ family without payment.

Tommy Connors Senior, 53, and three of his sons, Tommy Junior, 27, James, 25, Patrick, 21, are on trial.

“They worked very long hours during the week, leaving weekends for door to door canvassing. When not engaged on work for which the Connors family made money, workers were put to work at the Green Acres site, weeding, cleaning and generally tidying.

All four defendants face six charges – three of conspiracy to hold a person in servitude and three of conspiracy to require a person to perform forced labour.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between April 6, 2010 and September 11, 2011 and involved four victims who cannot be named for legal reasons. (Luton Today)

“Physical violence and the threat of such violence, whether spoken or unspoken, was used to ensure compliance with demands for work, to put down any attempt to claim the promised wages and to instil a fear of retribution if any worker attempted to escape the clutches of the Connors family.

“The evidence suggests that very substantial amounts of money have been made by the Connors family through their exploitation of the labour of their workers.”

He said that on September 11, 2011 the police raided the site where they found 13 workers. They ranged from those who had been recruited just the night before to men, who had been working for the Connors family for 10 years.

Bedfordshire Police is supporting Anti-Slavery Day as they continue to tackle human trafficking.

Mr Gumpert said: “It is clear, if the prosecution case is well founded, that over the years there have been dozens, perhaps over a hundred, workers who have been recruited, whose labour has been exploited and who have been the subject of threats, violence and coercion.”

He said the defence will argue that there was no servitude, no forced labour, but rather a rough bargain which enable men who would otherwise have wasted their lives away in drink and dependency to have meaningful lives worth living, as part of a travelling community, and within it as part of the Connors family.

But he said: “The prosecution said that various forms of

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National Anti-Slavery Day (ASD) was created in 2010 to raise awareness of modern slavery and encourage the government, local authorities, companies and public sector bodies to address the scope and scale of issues such as forced labour, child trafficking, domestic servitude and trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Beds Police has dealt with some very re-

cent cases of slavery, including a Romanian man who had arrived at Luton Airport, having left a location outside Bedfordshire where he was being used for labour and sexual exploitation.

Detective Chief Inspector Cestaro who leads Beds Police on human trafficking said: “This is very much a hidden crime, and one that is hard to gauge in terms of its size.

“People who have been subject to these forms of abuse often don’t know where to turn for help – they may not speak English, may be in the country illegally or even being held against their will and all of those things make them hard to reach.

“We have to work really hard to spot those signs and to that end we are using ASD to highlight the new training planned for all of our detective supervisors on the subject, including training from the UK Human Trafficking Centre and other organisations. All other public facing staff will receive on-line training about the signs to look out for and how to help those people who might be being exploited in this cruel way.”

Beds Police helped a Romanian woman claiming to have been lured to the UK with the promise of restaurant work who was then held for prostitution in Luton.

She was found in London and then housed in the North of England.

Beds Police also dealt with a 14-year-old boy who was being exploited for labour by operators of a fun fair for a week.

In Leighton Buzzard, the force undertook Operation Netwing, a large scale police investigation into men who were forced into servitude.

Bedfordshire Against Modern Slavery group, provides a forum for a number of groups including the Kings House Project, Prebend Street Day Centre and the Salvation Army who work with very vulnerable people and may often spot signs of 5

such abuse and can provide practical help for survivors of it.

Kristy Adams, of Bedfordshire Against Modern Day Slavery, said: “My involvement stems from being inspired by a talk in Parliament where a charity worker spoke of how his daughter described his job as, ‘rescuing princesses.’ I realised there was an awful lot of potential for public bodies, voluntary organisations and the community to work together to help identify cases of Human Trafficking and free those caught up in this evil crime.”

During the run up to ASD, officers have also been operating an anti-money laundering operation at London Luton Airport, aimed at criminals leaving the country with large amounts of cash.

If you have information or concerns about someone who may be involved, or being forced into work or exploitation against their will, you can contact police direct on 101. Alternatively Crimestoppers the independent charity are running a human trafficking campaign and information can be given to them anonymously via their free phone number 0800 555111.

(Source: Luton Today)

Waris Dirie was about ďŹ ve years old when she was left in a makeshift shelter under a tree for several days to recover from her "operation", like all the girls in her community, she had undergone female circumcision, more accurately known as female genital mutilation (FGM). She still remembers her anger. "When they tried to convince me that God wants this, I said: 'Did my God hate me so much?' I remember telling my mother: 'If he hates me, then I don't want him.'" In the days after FGM, many girls die from blood loss or infection. Dirie says she lay there, talking to God, saying "make me stay alive.

You owe me this now."

Know Something?

Call the 24 Hours

National Trafficking Helpline

0300 303 8151

Dirie, born to a nomadic family in Somalia, describes herself as not exactly the kind of daughter dreamed of by the traditional families in her community. As a very young child, she was wilful and headstrong, constantly questioning everything.

When she was about 13, her father announced that she would be married to a man in his 60s. "I knew [most married women in her community] put up with everything and anything. Any abuse, hopelessness, and I thought, was I here to be used and be abused? I knew there was so much I could do with my life, but on my terms." Her terms have led to an extraordinary life and we meet in a London hotel room as Dirie prepares to receive a Woman of the Year award for her campaign work. Under the threat of her impending marriage, she ran away, running barefoot across the desert for days until she reached relatives in Mogadishu. From there, she managed to make it to London – an aunt was 6 married to Somalia's ambassador to Britain – and

she worked as their maid for several years. When they returned to Somalia, she stayed on, learned English and got a job at McDonald's, eventually being spotted by a photographer. By the 1990s, Dirie had become a supermodel, fronting Chanel campaigns and appeared in the James Bond film The Living Daylights.

In many countries, it is a crime, athough very few have led to prosecutions. Why does she think so little has been done to eradicate it?

"Anything to do with females is considered less important," she says. The other argument she hears is that it is a "cultural" practice – tolerated on one side by people who don't want to be seen as racist if they interfere; ignored on the other side by people who are not interested because it doesn't affect them.

Modelling could be fun, but ultimately wasn't fulfilling. "I thought, 'This is not what I want anymore.

I couldn't sleep one more night knowing the truth about what was happening to girls…" She gives a mock smile as if posing in a fashion shoot. "I just knew that I had to tell the world that there was torture, an undercover war against women. But this is not one person's war – all of us have to do something." Now, she says, there is more awareness of FGM, but in the 1990s, "what really made me take a stand was that nobody was doing anything".

"If a white man or woman saw a white child that is mutilated, there would be screaming. I guarantee it would end," she says. "This is abuse against a child, so to say this is your 'thing', it's to do with your religion or race, it's all wrong. This is about child protection. I don't see anything else, and I think it's covered up by racism, and the idea that 'I don't want to get involved'. It's pure violence against girls, and it destroys the rest of their lives.

And for what? For who?"

Dirie's profile had given her a voice and when she went public, in a magazine interview in 1997, about what had happened to her, and her desire to stop FGM, largely practised in communities in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, it created a great deal of attention. She was appointed a UN special ambassador; in 2002, she set up her Desert Flower Foundation to campaign against the practice.

The World Health Organisation estimates there are about 140 million women in the world who have had FGM, from removal of the clitoral hood to the whole excision of external genitalia before the vagina is sewn up, with only a small hole left for urine and menstrual blood. It usually happens before the age of 15, and in some cases is performed on babies, in the belief that the girl will grow up "clean", her "honour" intact along with her virginity as a way of preparing her for marriage; this happens to 3 million girls every year. Aside from the intense pain and risk of infection at the time, it carries lasting consequences: difficulty urinating, sex is painful and pleasure-free, and childbirth can be fatal both to the baby and the mother. Botched FGM can leave women doubly incontinent and ostracised by their communities.

It also doesn't help that the practice is so hidden.

"As long as the problem stays undercover then nothing much happens, or at least not fast enough," says Dirie. "If we put it into the open, if it's on TV and in the newspaper, if we have politicians and religious leaders talking about it and saying ‘no’, then we fight it together." It isn't only something that happens in rural communities in Africa or Asia. This summer, the NSPCC opened its first helpline to support girls at risk of FGM in the UK – figures are difficult to come by, but one study estimates there are 66,000 women in England and Wales living with FGM, and 20,000 girls are at risk.

It happens in immigrant communities, says Dirie, "because first of all the community stick together.

They bring the same behaviour, even though they live right here in London. So the child doesn't know any different but follows the rule of the parent and what they think is the right thing. We need teachers, doctors, social workers, and the police – all these people have to be informed, open and talk to the community."

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Dirie opened the first Desert Flower clinic in Berlin in 2013, as part of her ongoing efforts to open further new medical centres to offer women coun-

selling and medical advice who have endured FGM and may be able to undergo the latest reconstructive surgery procedures. A Desert Flower Clinic in Switzerland will soon be opened and she anticipates developing new clinics over the next three years in Kenya, Ethiopia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. But she says, "I don't want to put too much focus on it, because the whole point is to stop this mutilation in the first place. We don't have to have special hospitals to reconstruct a God-given thing." She would like to do other things sing, act, UK Statistics

Due to its illegal and hidden nature, there are no robust statistics on the number of people – adults or children – trafficked to or within the UK for the purposes of labour or sexual exploitation. Regarding modern slavery in the UK, in March 2013 the Centre for Social Justice Slavery Working Group said:

be a fashion designer for women of all shapes and sizes. "But then I think I can't turn back, not now I'm almost there. You just have to keep going until one day it will come to an end."

Dirie, now 48 and living in Poland with her four children, says the emails and calls from suicidal women, and the knowledge that thousands of girls are still enduring FGM every day, still makes her angry and can be exhausting. But she is hopeful.

"The world is changing, especially with technology.

People have access to any information. I don't want little girls to be like me, to travel the world and to find out that this doesn't happen to all women and what has happened is wrong."

Our research shows that a large proportion of cases are never recognised or reported, and do not appear in any statistics or measures the size of the problem. There is no consistent grip on the numbers; agencies charged with such responsibility are groping in the dark for a sense of scale.

The Stages of Change Model (SCM) was originally devel-

oped in the late 1970s and early 1980s by James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente. The idea behind the SCM is that behaviour change does not happen in one step. Rather, people tend to progress through different stages on their way to successful change. Also, each of us progresses through the stages at our own rate.

Copyright; Desert Flower Foundation / Press 2013 Each person must decide for himself or herself when a stage is completed and when it is time to move on to the next stage. Moreover, this decision must come from inside you - stable long term change cannot be externally imposed (Kern, 2008) It is possible that counsellors can use this tool to help identify what stage the survivor might be at, while serving as a valuable reminder of Carl Rogers’ person-centered approach, not to be judgemental, but to exercise congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathy - traits which are integral when managing this client base.

This series by Cuban Artist, Erik Ravelo is “The Untouchables” and depicts photos of children crucified for their supposed oppressors, each for a different reason, and a clear message. The message seeks to reaffirm the right of children to be protected and report abuse suffered by them.

CAPRECON is a not-for-profit and non governmental organisation dedicated to Poverty Alleviation, Conflict Management, Transformation, Peace-building, Community and Youth Development, Education and Training, Humanitarian Assistance, Reconciliation & Post-Conflict Recovery/Stabilisation.

The first image refers to paedophilia in the Vatican, the second refers to child sexual abuse in tourism, the third refers to the war in Syria; the fourth image refers to trafficking of organs on the black market, where most of the victims are children from poor countries; the fifth refers to free weapons and the sixth image refers to obesity, blaming the big fast food companies.

Caprecon’s volunteers are able to provide psychosocial assistance, working alongside local providers and stakeholders. Caprecon’s primary objective is to alleviate suffering and help maintain human dignity

DID YOU KNOW... The Universal Declaration of Human Rights declared over 60 years ago, that all humans were born free and equal with rights common to all, and exclusive to none. 60-odd years later, in spite of the clear and express prohibition of slavery, trafficking in humans stands at an astoundingly and eerily high level, eclipsing all other eras. In other words, with 30 million people, mostly women and girls, currently being exploited and violated in the sex/human trafficking trade, at this moment in time, there have never been more people enslaved in global history.

BBCS4Luton is committed to preventing domestic human trafficking (including sexual exploitation) by raising awareness, changing individual lives through psychosocial counselling, transforming public perception and assisting in revolutionising the systems and policies that impact the exploited survivor. www.blackbrightcommunityservices.com

At Caprecon, they believe in inspiring people imprisoned by poverty to secure their freedom from it. They encourage and support them to transcend their circumstances and live in dignity.

Caprecon’s poverty alleviation initiatives include the provision of small grants and loans to individuals or groups; to set up small scale businesses and improve their living conditions, and in view of Capreon’s commitment to gender equality and belief that the empowerment of women is a significant poverty alleviation strategy, they encourage women to avail themselves of every opportunity Caprecon is one of BBCS4Luton’s partners.

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www.caprecon.org

JOBS TO HELP IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING & OTHER AREAS International Opportunities Working with Women

NEPAL: Sex Trafficking

5 - 10,000 Nepalese women are trafficked to the brothels of India per year.

What is Stockholm Syndrome?

“First, people would experience something terrifying that just comes at them out of the blue. They are certain they are going to die.

Trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world, exceeding the drug trade.

Come work in the shelter: help women learn alternative livelihoods and/or counsel.

“Then they experience a type of infantilisation - where, like a child, they are unable to eat, speak or go to the toilet without permission.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Uganda, Tanzania, Costa Rica Work in the shelter; do community education; help women become economically independent so they can leave abusive relationships; and/or help develop counseling programs for women, men and kids.

“In their mind, they think this is the person who is going to let them live.”

Psychiatrist Dr Frank Ochberg, National Institute of Mental Health

WOMEN & LITERACY: Morocco

Women have been excluded from education in Morocco and many countries in the world.

Come help teach women to read and write, thus empowering to have more voice in their homes & society.

FAMILY PLANNING: Uganda, Tanzania

For women that have 10 kids, they will tell you that contraception is life changing.

UK Trafficking Facts:

If families had fewer kids, they would have fewer mouths to feed and be less poor.

389 - the number of human trafficking cases identified by police in London this year

Melinda Gates of the Gates Foundation believes this is one of most important goals in the world for women.

Only 36, or 9% of those victims have been picked up by police 76% of UK victims are female

Now there is a groundswell in Africa and they are asking for help with this.

Sexual exploitation is the most common cause of trafficking in the UK, followed by labour exploitation and domestic service

Many places women do not know their rights and consciousness raising is essential.

The most common age of victims in the UK is 21-30

WOMEN’S RIGHTS CAMPAIGNS & LEGAL EMPOWERMENT: Uganda, Morocco, Tanzania:

In Tanzania, the work revolves around implementing the new laws that protect women, esp GBV.

Source: www.stopthetraffik.org.uk

MICRO-FINANCE: Costa Rica, Rwanda, Ecuador, Tanzania Micro-finance has helped women all over the world lift out of poverty.

Spanish, a background in Business, Finance or Entrepreneurship are helpful in Costa Rica.

Rwanda has a very sophisticated program; while Ecuador and Tanzania are more grassroots.

ORAL HISTORY OF SEX SLAVES: Gulu, Uganda Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) took kids as child soldiers and made girls sex slaves of LRA commanders.

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The war is over and now these women have been urged to collect their stories into a book.

SEXUAL ABUSE: Kenya

This is the first organization that we know of in Africa that is addressing sexual abuse.

A background in Social Work or Psychology is helpful so you can counsel these girls and youth.

PROSTITUTION: Tanzania

Women prostitute themselves because they are poor and have few choices.

Help empower these women personally & economically so they can succeed in other life styles.

WOMEN & AGRICULTURE: Ecuador

Ecuador’s indigenous people have gained more clout in the last 20 years.

Come teach farming or join indigenous women in the fields to help feed their families.

WOMEN & APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY: Bolivia

The altiplano of Bolivia is very high and dry. Women forage for hours each day to find firewood for cooking food.

Some of the these new technologies have been life changing...by helping women not have to forage endlessly.

Interested?

Please read NGOabroad website; http://www.ngoabroad.com/ and send answered Questionnaire and resume to: info@NGOabroad.com

These are volunteer opportunities. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

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SOME ORGANISATIONS AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING

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WORKING IN THE UK?

RIGHTS

WRONGS

Have you:

As an employee you are entitled to:

Been forced to work against your will?

Fair and equal treatment

Written confirmation of main terms and conditions of employment

Not been paid the agreed amount for your work?

Had your identification documents taken away?

Be paid the minimum wage

A wage slip

Been badly treated by your employer or agent?

Have only what is legal and fair deducted from pay

Been deceived or misled?

Safe working conditions

Been threatened?

Safe accommodation

Been under constant control?

Paid holidays

If this is happening to you, you may be in forced labour. Forced Labour is a Crime.

If some of these are missing from your list, your employer may be exploiting you!

For confidential help and support call the Citizen’s Advice Bureau on

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For confidential help and support Call the 24 hours National Trafficking Helpline 0300 303 8151

IDENTIFYING AND SUPPORTING VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING What is Human Trafficking?

The NHS Guidance for Health Staff defines human trafficking as ‘the recruitment, movement, harbouring or receiving of children, women or men through the use of force, coercion, abuse of vulnerability, deception or other means for the purpose of exploitation.’

Who attracts Human Traffickers?

Anyone who is vulnerable, from migrants travelling, to those seeking employment, homeless; drug users; runaways/missing children; domestic workers, children in care; re-gifted adoptees; those who don’t have recourse to public funds; visitors who do not speak the language properly - all are easy bait for traffickers who are watching and waiting!

Why are humans trafficked?

People are trafficked for power and money including: - Sexual Exploitation - Domestic Servitude - Forced labour (garment factories, mobile phones, food processing, factories) - Criminal Activity (cultivating marijuana; street crime; forced begging, fraud) - Organ trafficking

Where might we encounter trafficked victims?

- A victim might disclose their experience to you; - A trafficked victim might be referred to you by a GP or Agency - You might observe signs that indicate a person has been trafficked.

A person who is accompanied all of the time by someone who appears aggressive, controlling, intrusive and who constantly speaks on behalf of the victim; The victim may appear nervous, jittery, afraid to speak, allows the person who is with them to speak on their behalf; The victim may answer incoherently; be apprehensive about answering questions; they may resist explaining where they live or what they do.

Might have injuries that need treatment; and unwilling to explain how they came by the injuries.

They attend Walk-in Centres or Accident & Emergency rather than registering with a GP; young people may not attend school.

Tends to either move from one accommodation to another or they move around quite a bit, nationally, regionally and locally.

They may look dirty, neglected and tired; sometimes they have a generally untidy appearance.

English language may be poor, or they may not speak English at all.

Key Entitlements of the Trafficked Victim Summary of key entitlements

This non-exhaustive list of key entitlements that victims of criminal conduct are entitled to, has been extracted from the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime.

You are entitled to:

An enhanced service if you are a victim of serious crime, a persistently targeted victim or a vulnerable or intimidated victim; •A needs assessment to help work out what support you need; •Information on what to expect from the criminal justice system; •Be referred to organisations supporting victims of crime; •Be informed about the police investigation, such as if a suspect is arrested and charged and any bail conditions imposed; •Make a Victim Personal Statement (VPS) to explain how the crime affected you; •Read your VPS aloud or have it read aloud on your behalf, subject to the views of the court, if a defendant is found guilty; •Be informed if the suspect is to be prosecuted or not or given an out of court disposal; 16 •Be informed about how you can seek a review of CPS

Purpose Means Act Recruitment Transport

Threat Use of Force Coercion

Exploitation, incl: Prostitution of others; Sexual Ex ploitation;

Abduction Fraud Deception

Forced Labour Slavery or simi lar practices;

= Trafficking

Transfer Harbouring Receipt of Per sons

Abuse of Power Removal of or Abuse of Vul - gans nerability Other types of Giving Pay - exploitation ments or Benefits

Source above: UNDOC

decisions not to prosecute, to discontinue or offer no evidence in all proceedings; •Be informed of the time, date and location and outcome of any court hearings; •Be informed if you need to give evidence in court, what to expect and discuss what help and support you might need with the Witness Care Unit; •Arrange a court familiarisation visit and enter the court through a different entrance from the suspect and sit in a separate waiting area where possible •Meet the CPS Prosecutor and ask him or her questions about the court process; •Be informed of any appeal against the offender’s conviction or sentence; •To opt into the Victim Contact Scheme (VCS) if the offender is sentenced to 12 months or more for a specified violent or sexual offence.

If you opt in to the VCS to:

•Make a VPS for consideration by the Parole Board if the offender is considered for release or transfer and apply to 17 the Parole Board to read it out at the hearing;

•Make representations about the conditions attached to the offender’s licence on release and be informed about any licence conditions relating to you; •Apply for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme; •Receive information about Restorative Justice and how you can take part; •Make a complaint if you do not receive the information and services you are entitled to, and to receive a full response from the relevant service provider.

NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING HELPLINE: 0300 303 8151

is significantly increasing; or (b) there is a failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year; or (c) the determination that the country is making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with minimum standards is based on commitments by the country to take additional future steps over the next year.

Tier 3 - Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.

Jamaica was ascribed a Tier 2 rating in the US DepartTHE MINISTRY of Justice welcomed The Gleaner’s edito-

ment of State’s 2013 report, having been given a Tier 2

rial of July 11, 2013, entitled ‘Tough sentences alone

Watch List ranking in the previous year’s report.

won’t do’, concerning trafficking in persons in Jamaica.

While it is important that Jamaica be responsive to these

“We view constructive public discourse on these matters

annual exercises since an adverse ranking may be inim-

as essential to deepening the rule of law in Jamaica”.

ical to the country’s interests, Jamaica’s activities in combating human trafficking are not merely responsive to

The editorial stated that “this week’s approval by the

external assessments. Human trafficking, which may be

House of Representatives of the amendments is a signal

described as modern-day slavery, is an organised crime

to the United States that we are serious about the issue”,

against humanity that often operates across borders. It

and that “we will, hopefully, be rewarded by Washington

has affected virtually every country, and Jamaica’s pri-

with Jamaica, if not being removed, being placed in a

mary concern in this matter is the human rights of our

lower-grade watch list.” In light of those comments, it

citizens and any other individuals within our jurisdiction.

will be helpful to describe the tier placement system used by the US Department of State in relation to traf-

IMPROVED LAW

ficking in persons. The tier placement system ranks

The amendments to the Trafficking in Persons (Preven-

countries’ performance by reference to four tiers, as fol-

tion, Suppression and Punishment) Act, now before Par-

lows:

liament, go beyond just introducing stiffer penalties for perpetrators. The amendments focus on victim protec-

Tier 1 - Countries whose governments fully comply with

tion and assistance, including the expansion of the def-

the minimum standards in the Trafficking Victims Protec-

inition of “exploitation” to include debt bondage (where

tion Act (the ‘TVPA’, a US statute).

a victim is forced to work interminably for a creditor to

Tier 2 - Countries whose governments do not fully com-

try to settle a debt), the recognition of the offence of

ply with the TVPA’s minimum standards, but are making

conspiracy in connection with human-trafficking viola-

significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance

tions, the specification of aggravating features to guide

with those standards.

the court in sentencing, and provision for the court to

Tier 2 Watch List - Countries whose governments do not

order restitution to the victims within the same court

fully comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards, but are

proceedings in which the perpetrator is convicted.

making significant efforts to bring themselves into com-

To say that data on human trafficking “is not readily

pliance with those standards and: (a) the number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or

18

available anywhere” is not entirely correct. Jamaica has

established a National Task Force Against Trafficking in Persons, whose report on Jamaica’s efforts to combat trafficking in persons (spanning the period April 2012 to March 2013) presented the following data: For the period 2012 to 2013, 213 human trafficking raids were conducted by law enforcement, up from 32 in 2011 and 10 in 2010. A total of 224 persons were interviewed by the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) Trafficking in Perimage courtesy of www.google images

sons Unit in relation to human trafficking, 90 of those

Reconciliation

being since January 2013. There were three suspected human trafficking cases, with 23 victims being rescued

The storm has come and gone, Leaving in its wake, A nation on its knees Decent folks pick up the slain From debris-strewn streets And lay them to rest; poor souls.

Though the guns fall silent, Spoilers emerge from the dark And stoke embers of hate.

They bury atrocities In deep waters And hope it washes away.

But all the waters of the ocean Is never enough to wash away Blood of the slain So, brethren, come forth, And bring some comfort Into the heart of widows, Who, with vacant eyes, Grieve inconsolably, So, brethren, come forth And bring some comfort Into the heart of orphans Who, with teary eyes, Gaze emptily.

Brethren, there is a wound In your soul too, Festering, it burns for healing, Brethren, there is an emptiness In your soul too Lingering, it yearns for forgiveness Brethren, if only you come forth With true contrition And tell it all, as it is, Maybe, just maybe, Healing comes tomorrow For perpetrator and victim I see a flame, so fragile Glowing in the dark, It dances softly to a wind.

To a blowing wind Of hope and reconciliation

and four arrests made. At the time of writing, six cases of human trafficking are before the Circuit Court, with two set for trial in September 2013.

One significant case in December 2012 involved a group of 21 boys rescued from a Honduran boat intercepted in Jamaican coastal waters. These children were provided assistance by Jamaican state agencies, as is done in all cases where necessary, including accommodation, health services, counselling, legal support and repatriation. Though investigations indicated that human trafficking was involved, a decision was taken not to prosecute based on the difficulties that would be encountered in bringing the children back to give evidence at a trial in Jamaica, and the language barrier (the children spoke the dialect of the Miskito Indians).

The Government of Jamaica has refurbished and furnished a building for use as a trafficking in persons shelter, for the care and protection of victims. The shelter is fully operational, with the capacity to house up to ten persons.

This investigative capacity, armed with more robust legislation as a result of the current amendments, and supported

by

a

comprehensive

public

education

programme, should ensure that human traffickers will not (as the editorial put it) continue to act with impunity in Jamaica.

Editor’s Note: Being of Jamaican descent, I was particularly

by Dollin Holt

interested in this abridged feature article in the Jamaican Gleaner, and thought it might be of interest to others.

19

Black-Bright

A Bespoke Approach to Empowerment

BBCS4Luton, intends to work hard to identify and reach out to people at risk in the community. By showing concern and building trust, our staff help them to break free of destructive, abusive and exploitative relationships THIS ISSUE WAS FUNDED BY THE BIG LOTTERY FUND (AWARDS FOR ALL) TO HELP RAISE AWARENESS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN LUTON. BBCS4LUTON ALSO APPLIED FOR LOCAL FUNDING FROM ‘YOUR SAY, YOUR WAY’ TO PROVIDE THERAPEUTIC COUNSELLING TO TRAFFICKED AND SEXUALLY EXPLOITED PERSONS IN

THE LEWSEY WARD OF LUTON, AND WAS SUCCESSFUL.

(in partnership with BBCS4Luton) www.blackbrightcommunityservices.com www.issuu.com/blackbrightnews email: blackbrighnews@gmail.com www.twitter.com/bbcs4luton www.twitter.com/blackbrightnews Tel: 07915 062 775

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