Modern
Slavery: Human Trafficking in The United
Kingdom:-
“Our
flag is the friendliest flag in the world because no man fears it. Whenever it
is seen the slave knows he is free, the oppressed can come for help, and the
righteous can call for sympathy.”
Arthur Mee wrote in ‘The Book of the Flag’. Mee believed it was
imperative to inform all that Britain was an upholder of right and justice, and
wrote about slavery as a nefarious act of the past. In this article I will be
challenging that notion, and bringing attention to the clandestine human
trafficking trade that exists in Britain.
‘Human Trafficking is the movement of
people by means such as force, fraud, coercion or deception, with the aim of
exploiting them. It is modern day slavery.’
- http://www.unseenuk.org/about/the-problem/human-trafficking
Human trafficking is one of those issues
that bothers people upon mention of it, yet very few people are aware of the
significance of the problem. Slavery today is in fact a global business and a
huge source of income for traffickers and crime syndicates. Ever since 2004, when
23 Chinese cockle pickers drowned in Morecombe Bay, campaigners have revealed a
detrimental human trafficking problem in the United Kingdom.
According to the National Referral Mechanism statistics published in December 2015,
‘during the three month period April to June 2015, there were 757 referrals of
adults and minors to the NRM. These referrals comprise individuals from 61
countries of origin. Of the 757 people referred to the NRM during this period,
167 (22%) received a ‘positive conclusive decision’ and were therefore found to
have been trafficked.’ If nothing else,
this distressing fact is a stark indication that modern slavery endures, and it
is happening in our communities.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
published in 1948 states: ‘No one shall be held in slavery or servitude;
slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.’ With this
in mind, it is difficult to believe that Human Trafficking is such a colossal
problem in the UK, with a shocking 13,000 victims estimated by The Home Office.
Following many campaigns and investigations in recent years, the government has
been working with the EU in order to combat trafficking. Home Office Minister
Paul Goggins said: “Human trafficking is an appalling crime – a form of modern day slavery.
It is a key priority during our Presidency of the EU and today’s seminar with
Eurojust is an important step in bringing together all those involved in the
prosecution of serious organised crime and ensuring greater EU cooperation in
tackling people trafficking.” The Crown Prosecution Service has also stated
that: “It is believed that human trafficking is the third most profitable
activity for organised crime after drugs and arms dealing.”
Europe’s refugee crisis is worsening, and
according to political commentators and MPs, it constitutes a dire threat. In truth, the countries that have been most
affected by the increase in refugees are far from our shores; and the impact on
Europe is but a fragment of a crisis arising from hostilities existing in the
near and Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa. Brian Donald, Europol’s chief of
staff stated that: “Modern, enterprising, organised criminal gangs go where the
opportunity is high and the risk is low” and “Newly arrived refugees and
migrants are being ‘identified for exploitation, especially those of a young
age, young women and the unaccompanied’, to be forced into prostitution and
slave labour.”
Considering this, it is incredibly likely
that the current figures of human trafficking in the UK will increase, and this
is why the UK government must act accordingly to prevent this abhorrent crime
from continuing any longer. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3300016/Human-traffickers-preying-refugees-Europe-forcing-slave-labour-child-prostitution-warn-Europol.html)