Evil mob preyed on the weak
COMMENT £4.3bn
WHEN traffickers force their victims into sex or forced labour they control their whole lives.
It is not uncommon to make victims claim benefits, which they then confiscate. So it is good that staff who process benefit claims are being trained to spot the signs of modern slavery – they might save lives.
However, it must work as part of a wider system that supports the victims so that they feel confident enough to co-operate Office revealed research suggesting that modern slavery costs Britain up to £4.3billion a year.
It is estimated that each instance of the crime costs around £330,000, including support, lost earnings and law enforcement.
The scourge includes labour exploitation, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude, and affects at least 10,000 people.
Lady Butler-Sloss, who is leading the review into the Modern Slavery Act, said at the time: “The exploitation and enslaving of men, women and children across the world and within the UK is one of the most shocking crimes and one of the most profitable.
“The Modern Slavery Act is a splendid piece of legislation, but it JAKUB SOKIB Anti-Slavery International is very important to review how well it is being implemented and how it could be improved.”
Crime minister Victoria Atkins added: “The Prime Minister established this country as a world leader in this fight against modern slavery through our ground-breaking laws and law enforcement approach.”
Last month the Government was accused in a report of failing to protect thousands of children in the UK from exploitation by lacking a plan to prevent trafficking.
The UK Anti-Trafficking they will be supported for a short time, after which they’re expected to fend for themselves.
With no one to turn to, they might be targeted by traffickers again, who at least offer them a roof over their heads.
Many non-UK nationals face a traumatic time as they battle efforts to send them back to their home countries and into the hands of their traffickers, while the real criminals operate with impunity. Anti-Slavery Monitoring Group said there were 2,118 suspected child trafficking victims reported to the authorities in 2017 – a 66 per cent increase on the previous year. British children made up the biggest group of suspected victims, with 677 children from the UK referred to the authorities. The report claimed there was a lack of co-ordination in the Government’s policy for dealing with different aspects of slavery. The Government last month vowed to International has been calling for more training for frontline government staff like police, social workers, teachers and doctors, and it’s great to see job centre staff on that list.
We hope that a lack of proper support for victims doesn’t jeopardise the good work of frontline staff to help these vulnerable people.
For more information on Anti-Slavery International, go to www.antislavery.org continue to lead the fight against modern slavery at the UN General Assembly. International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt announced new protections for vulnerable children at risk of falling prey to traffickers.
A UK-backed project with Unicef will provide up to 400,000 girls and boys in Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan at risk of slavery with birth registration documents and other measures to shelter them from forced labour and underage marriage.
The Government will commit extra support, taking the UK spend to over £200million, to help create jobs, strengthen law enforcement and improve recruitment practices to deal with the scourge. A CRUEL Czech gang led by Ruzena Tancosova made a fortune while subjecting slaves to the most humiliating indignities.
They were forced to live in cupboards, forage in bins for their food and charged £1 to use the toilet.
Tancosova would beat her captives and threaten to kill them if they tried to escape.
The wicked 36-year-old trafficked the slaves from her native country to Devon, where she set up her racket after moving to Britain.
They were sent to work in car washes and factories, or hired out as domestic minions. At the same time, the gang confiscated their captives’ benefits.
The slavers were arrested and charged with trafficking, slavery and benefit fraud, following an inquiry by the DWP and Devon and Cornwall Police.
Tancosova, her brother Petr Tancos, 37, their cousin Martin Tancos, 37, and their partners Nela Dzurkova, 28, and Katerina Kurejova, 37, were convicted and jailed for a total of 20 years.
The gang had trafficked vulnerable Czech nationals into the UK for the purposes of labour exploitation and for their own financial benefit.
Their victims were forced to work long hours for the equivalent of pocket money to pay off imaginary debts, kept in very poor living conditions and constantly threatened with violence.
Seven men kept by the trafficking gang were freed from Plymouth addresses in 2014, following the largest operation of its kind by Devon and Cornwall Police and partner agencies.