Stop The Traffic

An overview of the vulnerability immigrants face from war torn countries. Currently the immigration crisis tends to have less focus on the vulnerabilities that many immigrants face.

Source: Stop The Traffic

An overview of the vulnerability immigrants face from war torn countries.

Currently the immigration crisis tends to have less focus on the vulnerabilities that many immigrants face. One of the main vulnerabilities and a major cause for concern is human trafficking. The Centre for Social Justice know that there is lack of awareness among the agencies in the UK whose responsibility it is to identify victims and ensure they are protected.

“It ought to concern every person because it is debasement of our common humanity. It ought to concern every community because it tears at our social fabric. It ought to concern every business because it distorts markets. It ought to concern every nation because it endangers public health and fuels violence and organised crimes” 

Speech by President of the United States, Remarks by the President to the Clinton Global I initiative, 25 September 2012

Human trafficking is a violation of human rights and to the dignity and integrity of the human being. Human trafficking is a global issue. A report concerning the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings by the United Kingdom recognises that the vulnerable are also unaware of the exploitations they may face and that the UK primarily is a destination for victims of trafficking in human beings.

A Home Office report on trafficking routes into the United Kingdom states that there is a lack of a systematic approach internationally on collection of data. It also states that unstable social and political conditions, economic imbalances and war are the key driving factors in human trafficking. The Association of Chief Police Officers projected that 17,000 migrant women were involved in prostitution in the off street sector, 2600 are estimated to be trafficked and a further 9,200 considered vulnerable. There were 325 potential child trafficking victims.

Everybody in these vulnerable countries should be made aware of the provisions that are in place. It is not enough to be reactive and just support the victim in aftercare they should be advised on arrival to borders. It seemed the authorities in countries entered by the Syrian Refugees (before being granted asylum) did not do enough in terms of vetting immigrants and recognising potential traffickers and advising immigrants on trafficking. The effort by the authorities was uncoordinated and only when the issue of immigration increased there was a response.

One of the responses was locking the immigrants out of certain countries. The majority of immigrants are vulnerable and are fleeing war torn countries in fear of their lives. The last thing on earth they need is to be met with force, some of them do not speak another language therefore they would not have understood what was happening causing them more fear.

There should have been a central location or several locations where the immigrants should be guided and the immigrants should have been contained, received medical treatment and food supplies. They should have been contained and vetted extensively or waited to be vetted when in a more comfortable environment. There should have been government pleas to the population to spare any voluntarily time to help out in specific areas. Overall there should have been a more guided, strategic approach and it should not have been left to one country at a time to react when it started to concern their country for example when migrants started to enter into the country.

A report from the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee on The Trade in Human Beings: Human Trafficking in the UK published on the 14th May 2009 stated the Key Facts:

Between 100,000 and 800,000 are trafficked into the EU each year 

About 8,000 women work in off street prostitution in London alone, 80% of whom are foreign nationals. 

The prosecution rate is low compared to the number of trafficked persons. 

Trafficking is Global 

Trafficking also happens internally 

Trafficking is a hidden crime: it’s victims cannot or dare not make themselves known to authorities (for fear of retaliation or thinking of themselves as illegal immigrants) and some do not even realize they are victims or concealed by physical isolation or language or cultural barriers.

A report from the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee on The Trade in Human Beings: Human Trafficking in the UK published on the 14 th May 2009.

The United Nations protocol aim is to prevent, suppress and punish traffickers. This is one and only one of the vulnerabilities that illegal or legal immigrants may face. It is not only subject to immigration, nationals may face this vulnerability to. Public awareness of the problem has been low in the UK.

Today I feel I hope to make more people aware of the vulnerabilities of immigration but also to make people aware that human trafficking does exist today in the form of modern day slavery not only internationally but domestically also.