Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery Bulletins - Vol 36

A regular digest of information and research related to human trafficking into and within the UK. Produced by the Research and Development Unit, on behalf of The Salvation Army’s Director of Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery.

Contents 1.

Research, reports and journal articles Relational geographies of human trafficking: inequality, manoeuvring and im/mobility across space and time (September 2018) 1.2 Child Trafficking: Young People’s Experiences of Front-Line Services in England (September 2018) 1.3 The drive for virtual (online) courts and the failure to consider obligations to combat human trafficking – A short note of concern on identification, protection and privacy of victims (August 2018) 1.4 Between globalisation and Brexit: Migration, pay and the road to modern slavery in the UK hospitality industry (August 2018) 1.5 Representations of Transnational Human Trafficking: Present-day News Media, True Crime, and Fiction (August 2018) 1.6 UK Out of the Shadows: Trans-disciplinary Research on Modern Slavery (July 2018) 1.7 The absent presence: Children’s place in narratives of human trafficking (July 2018) 1.8 The efficacy of the disclosure requirement under s.54 of the Modern Slavery Act (July 2018) 1.9 Modern slavery: The role of prototypes in categorizing extreme labour exploitation (July 2018) 1.10 Brexit and the fight against human trafficking: Actual situation and future uncertainty (July 2018)

1.1

2. Political and legislative 2.1 Parliamentary Questions 3. Campaigns and Initiatives 3.1 The Nottingham Reading Programme - ‘Slave: The True Story of a Girl’s Lost Childhood and her Fight for Survival’ (September 2018) 3.2 Modern Slavery: It’s Not On My Street (August 2018) 3.3 Be Seen, Be Heard: Tackling Modern Slavery in High Volume Recruitment (August 2018) 3.4 Walk Free Global Slavery Index 2018 (July 2018)

1. Research, reports and journal articles 1.1 Relational geographies of human trafficking: inequality, manoeuvring and im/mobility across space and time (September 2018) This paper outlines why and how a fuller geographical perspective extends contemporary scholarship on human trafficking within and beyond the discipline.

The authors employ a relational approach and draw on in-depth qualitative research with trafficked

4. In the News 4.1 Ipswich murders: Ex-leader admits town slavery ‘failings’ 4.2 Council returns vulnerable woman to suspected traffickers, report finds 4.3 Tortured slave left at mercy of her cruel trafficker 4.4 Female trafficking victims unlawfully held in UK jails due to ‘disturbing’ failure to identify exploitation, finds report 4.5 Moment 100 police officers smash ‘forced labour gang’ to free eight suspected slaves and arrest three in huge raid 4.6 Labour accuses Theresa May of ‘hollow’ modern slavery pledges 4.7 Home Office refusing asylum to growing number of child slavery victims, figures show 4.8 Traditional Turkish barber shops are using slave labour, warns police officer behind first child modern slavery conviction 4.9 Modern slavery in the UK: ‘They could be sat right in front of you’ 4.10 ‘I was kidnapped in London and trafficked for sex’ 4.11 Slavery still exists in modern Britain. My campaign aims to end that 4.12 Modern-day slavery costs UK up to £4.3bn a year, says Home Office 4.13 136,000 ‘living in slavery’ in Britain 4.14 Conflict and breakdown in law and order drive scourge of modern slavery 4.15 Human trafficking: 150 child slave victims identified 4.16 Modern slavery victims complete college course in Yorkshire 4.17 Human trafficking: ‘I was forced into prostitution’ 4.18 Robot workers will lead to surge in slavery in southeast Asia, report finds 4.19 High street shops offer a lifeline to victims of slavery 4.20 Modern slavery: how we exposed deadly sex trafficking in US prisons 4.21 Outgoing anti-slavery chief says government not doing enough to stop traffickers acting with impunity 4.22 Suspected slavery victims traumatised by Home Office delays

persons and a range of stakeholders in Slovakia and the United Kingdom, to depict how the processes underpinning human trafficking are non-linear, operate instantaneously at multiple intersecting scales and temporalities, and through diverse mobilities.

The authors conclude the paper by outlining how a relational-geographic perspective has the potential to foster new forms of dialogue and inquiry within and beyond the discipline. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/34222

This bulletin covers material produced during the period 1 July to 30 September 2018 although it should be noted that, due to space limitations, not all relevant material may have been included. The bulletin includes links to material and sources and is provided by way of information. The information included is not necessarily endorsed or supported by The Salvation Army.

1.2 Child Trafficking: Young People’s Experiences of Front-Line Services in England (September 2018) This article reports findings from an innovative qualitative study with 20 young people who were trafficked into and within England and their experiences of front-line services. In practice, concepts of consent and coercion are problematised as inadequate determinants of child trafficking. The findings demonstrate that young people require a more welfare-orientated response, based upon being listened to and believed and with greater action taken to protect them from further harm. https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/publications/ child-trafficking-young-peoples-experiences-of-frontline-service

linguistics, literary and media studies, and cultural criminology. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78214-0

1.3 The drive for virtual (online) courts and the failure to consider obligations to combat human trafficking – A short note of concern on identification, protection and privacy of victims (August 2018) This article examines the introduction of virtual (online) court systems being introduced in parts of the UK in the particular context of human trafficking victims.

The authors argue that online court systems are being implemented without investment into appropriate legal research and with assumptions regarding the approval process, and the article questions the effect of virtual hearings on the fundamental principles of due process.

Whilst identifying vulnerability has been the subject of guidance, it remains unclear how these courts will deal with human trafficking issues. The authors conclude that technological solutions to inefficiency have been given priority over justice solutions and just outcomes, without addressing systemic issues in the context of human trafficking. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clsr.2018.06.002

1.7 The absent presence: Children’s place in narratives of human trafficking (July 2018) This paper uses in‐depth qualitative data, obtained as part of research examining human trafficking from Slovakia to the United Kingdom, to explore the place of children in human trafficking processes. It studies examples of when children are moved across national borders and those when they remain in the home country, and show how in both accounts their (absent) presence constitutes a significant means for facilitating, maintaining and intensifying the exploitation of their adult relatives. The paper extends conceptual understandings of agency in human trafficking by illustrating how children are simultaneously subjects of exploitation and emplaced through complex channels within the exploitation of others. https://doi.org/10.1111/area.12473

1.4 Between globalisation and Brexit: Migration, pay and the road to modern slavery in the UK hospitality industry (August 2018) In this paper the authors argue that exploitative practices to reduce labour costs also facilitate pathways into modern slavery, where exploitative labour is involuntary and forced. Despite a legal framework to monitor and tackle modern slavery, the problem of resources and lack of political will to enforce this regulation limits the extent to which modern slavery can be challenged, and it is argued that Brexit may create political and economic conditions in which it could thrive. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/rhm/article/ view/176707 1.5 Representations of Transnational Human Trafficking: Present-day News Media, True Crime, and Fiction (August 2018) This open-access edited collection examines representations of human trafficking in media ranging from British and Serbian newspapers, British and Scandinavian crime novels and documentary series, and questions the extent to which these portrayals reflect the realities of trafficking. It tackles the problematic tendency to under-report particular types of victim and forms of trafficking, and seeks to explore both dominant and marginalised points of view. The authors take a cross-disciplinary approach, utilising analytical tools from across the humanities and social sciences, including

1.6 UK Out of the Shadows: Trans-disciplinary Research on Modern Slavery (July 2018) The article discusses the contested nature of modern slavery as a concept, locates it in international human rights and other international law, and then outlines several ways in which the Rights Lab is researching modern slavery with a view to contributing to its abolition by 2030. http://phrg.padovauniversitypress.it/system/files/ papers/2018_2_1.pdf

1.8 The efficacy of the disclosure requirement under s.54 of the Modern Slavery Act (July 2018) Under Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, businesses that have a certain annual turnover are required to publish a statement confirming the steps that have been taken to ensure that slavery and human trafficking are not taking place in their business and supply chain. This article aims to examine critically the efficacy of this disclosure requirement by considering both its merits and functional limits. http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/31966/ 1.9 Modern slavery: The role of prototypes in categorizing extreme labour exploitation (July 2018) Prototypes have long been acknowledged as playing a critical role in the emergence and consolidation of new organisational and market categories. However, the precise forms, characteristics, and effects of prototypes in the categorisation process remain unclear. The authors address this gap by conducting a discourse analysis of different stakeholder contributions to the emergence of the new legal category of ‘modern slavery’ in the context of the UK’s Modern Slavery Act, 2015. https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/ AMBPP.2018.40 1.10 Brexit and the fight against human trafficking: Actual situation and future uncertainty (July 2018) By leaving the EU, the UK will also leave EU agencies such as Europol and Eurojust. Brexit, therefore, may create a gap in co-operation between law enforcement authorities of different member states in their ability to detect human trafficking. This article seeks to

explore where the UK stands in the fight against human trafficking and what position it may adopt after Brexit.

Subsequently the article explicates the claim that a larger number of vulnerable people may be targeted by criminal organisations and recruited for the purpose of human trafficking and forced labour, because EU citizens may no longer be entitled to live in the UK with the same rights and entitlements. https://wlv.aws.openrepository.com/ handle/2436/621617

The Solicitor General: As a border MP, my hon. Friend knows the issue acutely. In February 2016 the Directors of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales and for Northern Ireland, and indeed the Lord Advocate for Scotland, met and pledged their commitment to providing a whole-of-UK approach to human trafficking and slavery.

As a result, quarterly meetings are held at official level between the jurisdictions, and there is a regular exchange of information and best practice to make sure we get it right.

2. Political and legislative

Paul Masterton (East Renfrewshire) (Con): The chain of trafficking offences is often complex and runs across several jurisdictions. How are we working with other countries to increase the number of prosecutions?

2.1 Parliamentary questions Oral answers The following section, drawn from the Hansard Commons debates, covers responses to parliamentary questions asked by MPs, in reverse chronological order.

06 September Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East; Lab): What steps the CPS is taking (a) domestically and (b) internationally to increase the effectiveness of prosecutions for modern slavery.

John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk; Con): What recent discussions he has had with the CPS on the effectiveness of prosecutions in cases involving modern slavery.

The Solicitor General (Robert Buckland): The Director of Public Prosecutions and I are members of the Prime Minister’s taskforce on modern slavery, which aims to do more to bring perpetrators to justice and support victims both here and overseas. The Crown Prosecution Service has recently announced an increase in prosecutions for modern slavery, and I will meet the DPP further to discuss how that good work can continue.

Kerry McCarthy: I welcome the fact that the number of prosecutions has gone up, I think by 27%. Is the Solicitor General having discussions about how we treat young people who are involved in county lines?

Will they be treated as criminals, or as the victims of, in many cases, modern slavery?

The Solicitor General: I know the hon. Lady takes a keen interest in this issue through her all-party group and in other work, and she hits the nail on the head when it comes to the difficult decisions that are sometimes made. I assure her that the typology on county lines that the CPS published only a few months ago has a particular focus on such issues. There will be times when a decision to prosecute must be made, but many of the people involved – particularly young people – are victims who need support.

John Lamont: In Scotland the police are alarmed by the rise in reports of potential human trafficking offences, and those individuals and gangs do not stop at the border. What discussions is the Solicitor General having with his counterparts north of the border to ensure that there is a UK-wide approach to this issue?

The Solicitor General: We place a heavy emphasis on international work, and we are currently working with 25 Europe-based inquiries. We have 30 prosecutors in other countries who focus on this type of work, as well as on other types of crime. Our commitment is clear.

Mr Speaker: It has been pointed out to me that the Attorney General and the Solicitor General would make a very good singing duo, although any performance would have to take place outside the Chamber. I hope the Attorney General enjoyed his debut at the Dispatch Box as much as I did.

12 July Bob Blackman (Harrow East; Con): To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress the Church of England has made on its work to tackle modern-day slavery; and what steps the Church of England is taking to educate school children on that issue.

Dame Caroline Spelman: I am very grateful for that question, because it allows me to pay tribute to the work of the Bishop of Derby, who has just announced his retirement, but who has been the Church of England lead in the House of Lords in tackling modern-day slavery. It was Bishop Alastair who pioneered the idea of creating an information pack for children in schools so that they could understand the horror of the history of slavery and this country’s involvement in it. He did that in the diocese of Derby, but we have learnt a great deal from it, and the scale of the initiative will now be extended.

Bob Blackman: On a recent visit to Romania, the ministry in charge of Romanians abroad was very concerned about the number of women who were being trafficked for sexual purposes across the European Union and the number of children who were being forced into modern-day slavery.

What more can the Church do to highlight the problem and combat it?

Dame Caroline Spelman: The Church of England has always had a great heart for the marginalised, the excluded and the vulnerable. Through the ‘We see you’ campaign, we are starting to raise awareness in society of what we often do not see around us. The Church is working in all schools to raise children’s awareness of this modern form of slavery, together with the charity Just Enough UK – as much as anything, to help them to protect themselves from becoming victims.

Michael Tomlinson (Mid Dorset and North Poole; Con): Commercial sexual exploitation involving trafficking is widespread. Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is time to consider supporting the Nordic model and making it illegal to pay for sexual services, in order to reduce such exploitation? [906406] Dame Caroline Spelman: My personal view is that the approach taken by countries such as Sweden, Norway and, more recently, Canada and Ireland to outlaw paying for sex is a policy worth looking at, and is infinitely preferable to the approach taken in countries such as Germany, which has liberalised prostitution. That is a personal view and not necessarily the view of the Church of England, but it can have escaped no one that sexual exploitation is a horrific aggravation of the crime of modern slavery.

Mr Speaker: I am sure that the hon. Member for Ludlow (Mr Dunne) wants to ask about the Clewer initiative, on which he has a related question which might otherwise not be reached. I am all agog. Let us hear the fellow.

Mr Philip Dunne (Ludlow; Con): I am most grateful to you, Mr Speaker, particularly for mentioning the Churches’ Clewer initiative, which encourages members of the public to use an app. Admirable though that is, does my right hon.

Friend think that it should have been left to the churches to take the initiative to protect vulnerable people from exploitation in unregulated hand car washes, or should regulatory bodies themselves have taken such a step?

Dame Caroline Spelman: My hon. Friend is an assiduous member of the Environmental Audit Committee, which has launched an inquiry into abuses in unregulated car washes, and I can only commend his work and that of the Committee. Hopefully, in return, he can commend the ingenuity of the Church of England in making a leap into the digital age and developing an app that helps all of us to identify circumstances which we suspect may involve slavery or exploitation. That is but one example, and I imagine that other apps could be created that would really help us to stamp out modern-day slavery in our society.

Written answers 05 September The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Victoria Atkins): On 30 July, the Home Office announced plans to launch an independent review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. The review is being led by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Frank Field), my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Mrs Miller) and the right hon. Baroness Butler-Sloss.

The introduction of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the first legislation of its kind in the world, has helped to transform the UK’s response to modern slavery. More victims are being identified and supported; more offenders are being prosecuted; and thousands of companies have published statements setting out the steps they have taken to tackle modern slavery in their supply chains. The UK is determined to lead global efforts to tackle this barbaric crime, and as the methods used by criminals to exploit vulnerable people evolve and our understanding of this crime evolves, it is important to consider our legislative approach.

The aim of the review is to understand and report on how the 2015 Act is operating in practice, how effective it is, and whether the legal framework for tackling modern slavery is fit for purpose now and in the future. In doing so, the review will need to take into account any significant economic, social and technological changes since the 2015 Act was passed.

The following provisions of the Act will be considered in the review: Section 3 on the meaning of exploitation Sections 8 to 10 on reparation orders Sections 40 to 44 on the Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner Section 45 on the statutory defence Section 48 on independent child trafficking advocates Section 54 on transparency in supply chains The review will gather evidence and seek views from relevant stakeholders across a range of sectors and interest groups. The findings and recommendations of the review will represent the views of the reviewers, who will be supported by a secretariat seconded from the Home Office.

The review will aim to report to the Home Secretary before the end of March 2019. Following approval, the Home Secretary will lay the report in Parliament.

A copy of the review’s terms of reference will be placed in the Library of the House and is available on www.gov.uk 23 July The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Sajid Javid): The first meeting of EU Interior and Justice Ministers during the Austrian presidency took place on 12 and 13 July in Innsbruck. A senior Government official represented the UK for Interior day. The Secretary of State for Justice represented the UK on Justice day.

Interior day focused on the follow-up to the June European Council on migration. Discussion reflected on the progress made since the 2015 migration crisis, and the challenges that the EU continues to face. There was broad consensus on the need for strong external border protection, as well as the establishment of regional disembarkation platforms.

Member states agreed that the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) reforms, including Dublin IV, should be negotiated as a package. The UK continues to support a comprehensive approach to migration but does not support a mandatory redistribution system within the EU and has not opted into the Dublin IV regulation.

The lunch debate was centred around anti-Semitism and European values. A number of Jewish organisations presented to Ministers their view of the situation for Jews in Europe. Ministers agreed on the importance of combating anti-Semitism in all its forms, and noted the importance of combating online hate speech. The UK condemns all forms of extremism.

Community policing and human trafficking was the final discussion on Interior day, where Ministers discussed practical methods to improve trust between police forces and communities.

can now be concluded: ‘The political and senior officer leadership of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council is able to function and continue its improvement without the need of Commissioner oversight.’

Justice day began with a consideration of the Commission’s e-evidence proposals. The UK is currently considering whether to opt in to the e-evidence regulation. Member states considered the opportunities and challenges in negotiating a bilateral EU agreement with the US to enable direct execution of requests for electronic evidence, including concerns over fundamental rights.

The Secretary of State for Justice intervened to set out the progress to date on the UK-US agreement, noting the passage of the CLOUD Act in the US and offering to share UK experience to support the Commission.

The evidence provided to support these recommendations includes the report of the independent health check, which was undertaken in February 2018 and supported by the Local Government Association. Furthermore, in January 2018 Ofsted rated Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council’s children’s services as ‘good’.

During the discussion on ‘Enhancing judicial co-operation in civil matters’, the Commission urged ambition in adopting e-Codex (e-Justice Communication via Online Data Exchange) and the greater use of videoconferencing under the two proposed regulations on service and taking of evidence. The Secretary of State for Justice noted that the proposed regulation for taking of evidence would mean that where evidence is being obtained directly by a court from a person domiciled in another member state, the person from whom the evidence is requested will be compelled to provide it, and that the implications of this will need to be considered. He also expressed the UK’s view that consideration needs to be given to the proportionate costs of e-Codex in relation to requests being served through unsecure post.

Justice day ended with a working lunch on ‘Mutual recognition in criminal matters’, during which Ministers discussed the areas of judicial co-operation that would require a strengthening of mutual trust.

23 July The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (James Brokenshire): Professor Alexis Jay’s report (2014) into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham and Louise Casey’s follow-up report (2015) exposed the serious systemic failures by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to protect vulnerable children from sexual exploitation.

In response, the then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the then Secretary of State for Education took immediate action to protect the children of Rotherham. In February 2015, they appointed commissioners to take over all of the authority’s executive, and some of the non-executive, functions and drive a programme of improvement.

With the support of commissioners, the council has made steady and significant progress in its improvement journey. As a result, my predecessors were able to return functions to the council on four separate occasions: 11 February 2016, 13 December 2016, 21 March 2017 and 12 September 2017.

In her recent progress reports (February and May 2018) and letter (21 March 2018), lead commissioner Mary Ney has recommended that the intervention in Rotherham

As this is a joint intervention with the Department for Education, together with the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for Stratfordon-Avon (Nadhim Zahawi), I have carefully considered the evidence put forward by commissioners. We have also met with them to discuss their recommendation in more detail. In addition, we have also met the Leader and Chief Executive of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council in person and received assurances from them that they are confident the council is now in a position to drive forward and deliver its own improvement agenda.

As a result of this robust evidence provided by commissioners and the positive conversations with the council, I am pleased to announce that I am minded to exercise my powers under section 15 of the Local Government Act 1999 to revoke the Direction of 26 February 2015 as amended, and remove commissioners from the council and hand back the remaining executive functions to the council.

However, I am mindful that the decision to hand back the remaining functions, particularly children’s services, is a significant one. Therefore, I am also announcing that I am minded to put a new Direction in place which requires Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to undertake an independent review before 31 March 2019 when the new Direction expires. This will enable a last check of the council’s performance once the commissioners have left.

I am inviting the council to make representations on these proposals, which will be considered as part of my final decision.

We are determined to protect children from harm, and we will do everything we can to prevent this from happening again – either in Rotherham or elsewhere. Government Departments are working collectively to ensure that the National Crime Agency’s Operation Stovewood, and victims of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, have the support that they need. The Home Secretary has written recently to Rotherham and the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner confirming Government’s commitment to working closely with Rotherham over the coming years to assess the demand on services, to encourage as many victims as possible to come forward and to provide support – financial and otherwise – where it is appropriate to do so. To date, the Home Office has provided £12.4 million of police special grant funding towards Operation Stovewood.

The Department for Education is providing additional funding of up to £2 million to Rotherham’s children’s social care services, over the four-year period 2017-21, for additional social workers to work with children in need

of support as identified through Operation Stovewood. The Ministry of Justice has provided £1.6 million to the Police and Crime Commissioner to commission additional services locally, and also committed around £549,000 extra funding to provide specialist support, including for the provision of Independent Sexual Violence Advisers. NHS England has worked with regional Health and Justice Commissioners and partners to reconfigure existing resources to support victims in Rotherham, providing £500,000 from 2018 to 2020 to support the sustainability of this project.

I am placing a copy of the documents associated with these announcements in the Library of the House and on my Department’s website.

19 July The Minister for Europe and the Americas (Sir Alan Duncan): I represented the United Kingdom at the 24th Ministerial Council meeting of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) held in Vienna on 7 and 8 December 2017, hosted by Austrian chair-in-office, Sebastian Kurz. The Council is the top decision-making body of the OSCE and was attended by Ministers from across its 57 participating states. A number of new commitments were agreed, including on combating trafficking in human beings, on small arms and light weapons, and on reducing the risk of conflict stemming from the use of information and communication technologies.

In my intervention at the Ministerial Council, I reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. I condemned Russia’s destabilising actions in eastern Ukraine and illegal annexation of Crimea, and we co-sponsored an event in the margins of the Ministerial Council for Crimean Tatar leaders. The United Kingdom is the second largest contributor of secondees to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM), which plays a crucial role in monitoring the ceasefire and events on the ground.

I paid tribute during my intervention to SMM paramedic Joseph Stone, who tragically lost his life on patrol in April 2017. The United Kingdom continues to call on all parties to ensure the safety both of our monitors and of civilians in Eastern Ukraine.

The 2017 Ministerial Council discussed the continuation of the structured dialogue launched in 2016, aimed at reducing risk of military conflict. We welcome the dialogue as an opportunity to rebuild trust among all stakeholders of European security in the OSCE area. The process will take time, but we value the work done so far, including discussions on threat perceptions, challenges to the rulesbased order, military-to-military contact, and trends in military force postures and exercises. At the Ministerial Council, the United Kingdom delivered a statement on behalf of 29 allies restating the importance of enhancing military transparency, and of full implementation and updating of relevant commitments.

The OSCE is a vital forum for addressing the ‘protracted conflicts’ which remain a threat to European security, and during the Ministerial Council I reiterated our firm support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Government welcome progress on confidence-building measures relating to the conflict in Moldova agreed in

the 5+2 format meetings in Vienna in 2017 and in Rome in 2018. We also continue to support the Minsk co-chairs in their efforts to find a peaceful solution to the NagornoKarabakh conflict.

The Government remain committed to the security and stability of the Western Balkans. We provide over 5 million euros per annum to OSCE’s extensive field presence in the Western Balkans through assessed contributions and also give extra budgetary funding to support work on media freedom, electoral reform, safe storage of small arms and light weapons, strengthening the rule of law, and processing of war crimes cases. The office of the OSCE’s representative on freedom of the media chaired a discussion on media freedom at the Western Balkans summit in London on 9 and 10 July. The Government also support security and stability in Central Asia through our assessed contributions and through extra-budgetary funding to OSCE field missions, supporting work in areas such as judicial independence, rule of law, border controls, counter-terrorism, cyber-security, and freedom of religion or belief.

The United Kingdom is using its second year chairing the OSCE human dimension committee to support the 2017 Italian chairmanship and promote discussion of issues relevant to everyday lives across the OSCE area in the field of human rights, fundamental freedoms and democracy.

2018 meetings have covered issues such as human rights defenders, freedom of religion or belief, and Roma and Sinti girls’ education. The committee has also addressed cross-dimensional issues such as human trafficking and violence against women. The Prime Minister’s special envoy on post-holocaust issues, Lord Pickles, spoke at an OSCE chairmanship conference on anti-Semitism in Rome in January and a UK-led event on racism in Vienna in May. Throughout this period, the United Kingdom, with EU partners, has continued to raise human rights concerns at the OSCE. At the Ministerial Council, the UK joined a declaration by 44 states expressing concern at deteriorating respect for human rights and space for civil society in parts of the OSCE region.

OSCE work on arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation, along with counter-terrorism and cybersecurity, plays an important role in pursuit of our security objectives. We continue to promote efforts in the OSCE to strengthen and modernise conventional arms control in Europe, based on principles such as respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, reciprocity, transparency, and host nation consent. We welcome the OSCE Ministerial Council decision to reinforce and expand efforts to reduce the threat posed by small arms and light weapons and stockpiles of conventional ammunition.

I was able to underline the UK’s commitment to European security, the OSCE and to multilateral co-operation when I met the new OSCE secretary-general, Thomas Greminger, during his visit to London in May. Slovakia has begun preparations for its OSCE chairmanship, which starts in January 2019. We look forward to working with them to promote shared priorities, uphold shared principles and commitments and to increase security and co-operation in Europe.

3.

Campaigns and initiatives

3.1 The Nottingham Reading Programme – ‘Slave: The True Story of a Girl’s Lost Childhood and her Fight for Survival (September 2018) https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/ pressreleases/2018/september/nottingham-helpsstudents-learn-about-modern-slavery.aspx 3.2 Modern Slavery: It’s Not On My Street (August 2018) https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/news-appeals/ modern-slavery-its-not-my-street 3.3 Be Seen, Be Heard: Tackling Modern Slavery in High Volume Recruitment (August 2018) https://www.unseenuk.org/support-us/be-seen-beheard 3.4 Walk Free Global Slavery Index 2018 (July 2018) https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/2018/findings/ highlights 4.

In the News

4.7 Home Office refusing asylum to growing number of child slavery victims, figures show The Independent, 14 August https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ home-office-child-slavery-victims-aslyum-refuseimmigration-controls-javid-a8490671.html 4.8 Traditional Turkish barber shops are using slave labour, warns police officer behind first child modern slavery conviction Telegraph.co.uk, 12 August https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/12/ traditional-turkish-barber-shops-using-slave-labourwarns-police/ 4.9 Modern slavery in the UK: ‘They could be sat right in front of you’ BBC News, 9 August https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-45130589 4.10 ‘I was kidnapped in London and trafficked for sex’ BBC News, 7 August https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-45103617

4.1 Ipswich murders: Ex-leader admits town slavery ‘failings’ BBC News, 20 Sep 2018 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englandsuffolk-45595693

4.11 Slavery still exists in modern Britain. My campaign aims to end that The Guardian, 30 July https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/ jul/30/slaves-britain-human-trafficking

4.2 Council returns vulnerable woman to suspected traffickers, report finds BBC News, 18 September https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-englandlondon-45562378

4.12 Modern-day slavery costs UK up to £4.3bn a year, says Home Office The Guardian, 30 July https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/30/ modern-day-slavery-costs-uk-up-to-43bn-a-year-sayshome-office

4.3 Tortured slave left at mercy of her cruel trafficker Evening Standard, 18 Sep 2018 https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/torturedslave-left-at-mercy-of-her-cruel-trafficker-a3938711. html

4.13 136,000 ‘living in slavery’ in Britain Express.co.uk, 19 July https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/991587/modernslavery-uk-figures-statistics-home-office-2018

4.4 Female trafficking victims unlawfully held in UK jails due to ‘disturbing’ failure to identify exploitation, finds report The Independent, 16 September https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ human-trafficking-women-uk-victims-prisons-jailmodern-slavery-prison-reform-trust-hibiscus-a8534726. html 4.5 Moment 100 police officers smash ‘forced labour gang’ to free eight suspected slaves and arrest three in huge raid Daily Mail, 11 September https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6155275/ Police-free-eight-slaves-arrest-three-Buckinghamshireraid.html

4.16 Modern slavery victims complete college course in Yorkshire BBC News, 27 July https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-southyorkshire-44982510

4.6 Labour accuses Theresa May of ‘hollow’ modern slavery pledges The Independent, 29 August https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ labour-theresa-may-modern-slavery-nigeria-africavisit-diane-abbott-a8512806.html

4.17 Human trafficking: ‘I was forced into prostitution’ BBC News, 27 July https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/ukwales-44985461/human-trafficking-i-was-forcedinto-prostitution

4.14 Conflict and breakdown in law and order drive scourge of modern slavery Telegraph.co.uk, 18 July https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/conflictbreakdown-law-order-drive-scourge-modern-slavery/ 4.15 Human trafficking: 150 child slave victims identified BBC News, 27 July https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-44807348

4.18 Robot workers will lead to surge in slavery in south-east Asia, report finds The Guardian, 11 July https://www.theguardian.com/globaldevelopment/2018/jul/12/robot-workers-will-leadto-surge-in-slavery-in-south-east-asia-report-finds 4.19 High street shops offer a lifeline to victims of slavery The Times, 6 Jul 2018 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/high-streetshops-offer-a-lifeline-to-victims-of-slavery-v9rl9nltg 4.20 Modern slavery: how we exposed deadly sex trafficking in US prisons The Guardian, 5 July https://www.theguardian.com/membership/2018/ jul/05/the-trap-women-sex-trafficking-us-prisonsjails-documentary

4.21 Outgoing anti-slavery chief says government not doing enough to stop traffickers acting with impunity ITV News, 4 July http://www.itv.com/news/2018-07-04/home-officeneeds-to-bring-fight-to-the-traffickers-as-thesystem-continues-to-fail-modern-slavery-victims/ 4.22 Suspected slavery victims traumatised by Home Office delays The Guardian, 2 July https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/ jul/03/suspected-slavery-victims-traumatised-byhome-office-delays

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