Record numbers flee to UK to escape organ harvesting gangs

CHILDREN at risk of having their organs harvested are fleeing to Britain to escape criminal gangs, The Telegraph can reveal.

Lungs, kidneys, livers, hearts and corneas are among the most sought-after organs and are sold on the global black market for thousands of pounds.

Since 2012, 18 children and adults have been reported to British authorities. Last year saw a record number of suspected victims claiming that they had been subjected to one of the most gruesome and harrowing forms of human trafficking and modern slavery.

The disturbing revelation comes as an independent tribunal is today expected to publish its judgment into forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience in China.

Analysis of National Crime Agency (NCA) data reveals that in 2018, four children and two adults were among those who were flagged to authorities, having claimed that they were under threat of being killed for their organs.

The six referrals to the National Referral Mechanism – a scheme designed to support victims of human trafficking and modern slavery – mark the highest numbers since records began.

Between 2012 and 2018, the total number of suspected child and adult victims was 18, flagged to the NCA by police, local authorities or charities.

However experts warn that this is “just the tip of the iceberg”, with the true number likely to be far higher as, although modern slavery is a “hidden” crime, organ harvesting is particularly traumatic, with victims likely to be vulnerable, poor and unable to speak out.

Last year, one male adult, one female adult and four young boys ended up in Britain claiming that they has been victims of organ harvesting. They were from Albania, Vietnam, Iran, Ethiopia and Poland. One Polish man ended up in South Yorkshire. Two of the victims claimed their exploitation took place in Britain.

However the NCA confirmed that no cases of organ harvesting occurred in any of the six cases, raising suspicions that a deal could have been made by local gangsters to transport the victims elsewhere to harvest their organs.

It comes as an independent tribunal today issues a final judgment on allegations that China is harvesting and selling the organs of prisoners in its jails.

The China tribunal, chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, who was a prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, has taken evidence over the past year to determine what international law crimes, if any, have been committed.

The gruesome question of whether organs are being harvested, from prisoners of conscience in particular, first raised more than a decade ago, has prompted claims, counterclaims and conspiracy theories around the world.