WEBSITEProtect victims of trafficking in the UK
'Trafficking in human beings' means the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception,... for the purpose of exploitation.
In the UK, there is particular evidence of cases of trafficked victims in sectors such as the hospitality and catering trade, domestic labour, care sectors, agricultural and food processing sectors, construction and prostitution.
About trafficking
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Sign the petition
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Trafficking does not always involve illegal immigrants - many victims are brought
in legally but are exploited when they are here and trafficking is also not the
same as people smuggling. 
2007 marks the bicentennial year of the abolition of the transatlantic slave
trade, yet the global trade in people thrives. Call on the UK Government to ratify
the Convention against trafficking. Convention against trafficking - what's next?
Thanks to your support, Amnesty had successfuly campaigned both in calling for, and helping to draft, the terms of the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking and in seeing it signed by over 30 Council of Europe States including the UK. For the Convention to come into force there need to be 10 ratifications and already we have seven.
Campaigning for the implementation of the Convention
More than ratification we are now campaigning for implementation of the Convention to the highest standards for all victims of trafficking (not only victims of sex trafficking).
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Research, EU-wide best practice and the expert advice of NGOS and health specialists supports us in what we are calling for:
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- Sign our petition to call on the UK Government to ratify the Convention
- Visit the Helen Bamber Foundation site - working with survivors of cruelty
Trafficking into the UK
Some key facts about trafficking:
- Home Office research found that up to 1,420 women were trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation in 1998. The figure was based solely on reported cases, and trafficking in people is understood by the police and by organisations that work with victims to be increasing exponentially - because it is extremely profitable, with "high demand" and little capital outlay needed at the start
- Sex in the City, a 2004 report by victims support agency, the Poppy Project, found that women from Eastern Europe, South East Asia and West Africa are known to be trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation
- Metropolitan police estimate trafficked women forced into prostitution in London see between 20 and 30 men per day
- The Poppy Project is the only dedicated safe house providing specialist support for victims of trafficking in London: it has 25 places.
The European Convention Against Trafficking
The UK Government has acted to prosecute traffickers and criminalise all forms of trafficking - in the Sexual Offences Act 2004 and the Immigration and Asylum Act 2004. But cracking down on the people traders is only one half of the answer - the UK should also guarantee victims' rights are protected.
The current lack of automatic protection for those who escape from trafficking in the UK compounds the abuse that many have already suffered. Many victims are removed from the UK as illegal entrants without any assessment of what risk they may return to (and without any prospects of their traffickers being held to account).
The European Convention Against Trafficking was drawn up by the 46-member Council of Europe based in Strasbourg. It guarantees trafficked people:
- A breathing period (or reflection period) of at least 30 days during which they can receive support to aid their recovery, including safe housing and emergency medical support
- Temporary residence permits for trafficked people who may be in danger if they return to their country, and/or if it is necessary to assist criminal proceedings
