6th June, 2013

“Protecting African Victims of Trafficking in the UK”

Lola Gani-YusufAnti-Trafficking Project CoordinatorAFRUCA

EMN UK National Network conference

Introduction

About AFRUCA...the premier charity promoting the rights and

welfare of African children in the UK

5 Key Work Areas:

• Awareness raising on Child Rights• Policy and Advocacy• Education, Research and Advisory• Community and International Development• Victim/Family Support and Consultancy

Child Trafficking: Issues and Trends• Over 50 African children were potential VoTs in 2011

• 5 most common countries of origin: Romania, Slovakia, Nigeria, Poland and Czech Republic.

• Nigeria also has the highest number of people trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation and domestic servitude

• Air travel using counterfeit or fraudulently obtained documents

• Chinese and Nigerian criminal groups proficient in the production of counterfeit or falsified documents to facilitate trafficking.

• Witchcraft/Juju as a weapon of control

Potential victims identified as criminal suspects or illegal immigrant

• Inability of government in source countries to collaborate with the UK government to address this problem – so it continues unabated

Ten Most Common Source Countries

(Source - UKHTC: A Baseline Assessment on the Nature and Scale of Human Trafficking in 2011)

Country of Origin and Exploitation Types for Potential Child VOTs

(Source - UKHTC: A Baseline Assessment on the Nature and Scale of Human Trafficking in 2011)

Potential Victims of Sexual Exploitation for the Most Prevalent Countries

(Source - UKHTC: A Baseline Assessment on the Nature and Scale of Human Trafficking in 2011)

Potential Victims of Domestic Servitude for the Most Prevalent Countries

(Source - UKHTC: A Baseline Assessment on the Nature and Scale of Human Trafficking in 2011)

Children are conceived and birthed for the purposes of sale to clients

Victims are usually coerced, abducted and raped whilst in captivity

High premium placed on biological children

Economic Reasons

Lack of safety nets for vulnerable women

Children are conceived and birthed for the purposes of sale to clients

Victims are usually coerced, abducted and raped whilst in captivity

High premium placed on biological children

Economic Reasons

Lack of safety nets for vulnerable women

The Case for Baby Factories

‘Miracle Babies’- A Kenya pastor accused of abducting 5 Kenyan children between 1999-2004

Nigerian woman jailed for smuggling baby into the UK in 2008

Conviction of British couple for attempting to smuggle Nigerian baby into UK in April 2013

‘Miracle Babies’- A Kenya pastor accused of abducting 5 Kenyan children between 1999-2004

Nigerian woman jailed for smuggling baby into the UK in 2008

Conviction of British couple for attempting to smuggle Nigerian baby into UK in April 2013

Cases in the UK

Impact of Child Trafficking on Victims

• Psychological and mental health issues amongst victims and survivors – prone to self-harm, PTSD, bulimia and panic attacks

• Stunted individual growth – socially and emotionally

• Living under the radar due to fear of deportation

• Lack of identity

• No education

• No recourse to public funds

• Victims become more vulnerable to criminal activities

• A growing underclass of young Africans in the UK who have been denied their rights

Victim Protection: Our Concerns

• Early Identification Vs Historical Victims

• Criminalisation of victims

• Culture of disbelief

• Current changes to Legal Aid

• The burden of proof and The standard of proof

• Support from community is often temporary or exploitative

• Disempowerment and continued trauma when they contact statutory agencies

• Limited access to social services due to lack of legal documentation

Investigation and Prosecution• Successful investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases

are hindered by a number of factors:

When VoTs escape very few go to the police/social services

Fear of being deported by the police

Lack of full disclosure by VoTs due to fear of reprisals/witchcraft

Burden of proof Vs The victim’s testimony and eye witnesses

Failure of their associates or community members to refer VoTs

Reluctance within African communities to engage in official support or testify to support victims’ claims

Failure of statutory authorities to properly identify VoTs

Recommendations

• Human rights approach should be embedded into victim

protection, support and assistance

• Protection and support of VoTs should be on a case-by-case basis and not one-size-fits-all approach

• Identification of VoTs should be separated from the process of the asylum claim

• Greater emphasis on investigation, prosecution and conviction of traffickers

• Developing better relationships and trust within African communities to encourage referrals and/testimonies

• Prevention through awareness raising using different channels and strategies

AFRUCA’s Interventions

• AFRUCA is developing a holistic approach to effectively deal with the issue of child trafficking in the UK/Africa in these key areas:

– Signposting and Referral

– One-to-One Support

– Peer-to-Peer Support

– Advocacy

– Policy

– Community Awareness Raising

– AFRUCA Nigeria

AFRUCA UK• Head Office

Unit 3D/F Leroy House

436 Essex Road

London N1 3QP

Tel: 08446608607 Fax: 08446608661

• AFRUCA Centre for African Children and Families

Unit 98-100, 23 New Mount StreetOff Rochdale Road

Manchester M4 4DE+44 (0) 161 953 4711/4712

• E-mail: info@afruca.org Website: www.afruca.org