Tackling the traffickers—a role for civil recovery orders, asks Paul Yates
Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. The Home Affairs Select Committee has conservatively estimated there are at least 5,000 victims of trafficking within the UK at any given time. Yet, despite significant areas of progress—such as the signing and ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings, and new offences in relation to human trafficking for sexual exploitation and for forced labour—only 20–25 people per year were convicted of human trafficking offences in the UK between 2005–2008.
Identifying and protecting victims—and working with them sensitively—has rightly been the central focus of much of the campaigning work done to date. But are we doing enough to pursue the traffickers themselves?
Criminal prosecutions face significant obstacles. Many victims fear reprisals against themselves or their family by their traffickers or their associates. Many are reluctant to engage with the authorities because they have been smuggled into the country unlawfully, or have been forced to work in illegal industries such as prostitution
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