AIBU to think human trafficking only happens in foreign countries and not in this country?

Welshwabbit I've come across similar involving people brought here as "au pairs" or "nannies" with the "employers" seemingly oblivious of:

• uk minimum wage laws
• EU working time directives (at the time)
• the fact that you cannot reduce wages to nothing by providing accomodation and meals
• the fact that you cannot take someone's passport away
• uk rules about annual leave and bank holidays
• uk requirements to operate tax/nic for employees

I'm sure the people involved would never in a million years have classfied what they did as modern slavery but that is exactly what it was.

This gives you examples and obviously county lines is part of it

Surrogacy is human trafficking. What else do you call the rental of a woman's uterus and exchanging money for a living breathing baby? That living breathing baby has no say in what's done to it, and it doesn't want "genetic" parents, it's only known established connection is with the woman that gives birth to it.

And of course human trafficking happens in this country, those trafficked women fill Brothels and have to "work off their debt".

People coming willingly can still be trafficked though because they don’t know what’s waiting for them when they arrive.

Also, read the story of Mo Farrow. Absolutely extraordinary.

Actually yes!
Some do arrive on small private planes. They can be surprisingly affordable and are almost never subject to immigration checks. Criminals have cottoned on to this.

Human trafficking and slavery absolutely does happen in this country although I think the meanings of both words has been expanded. To me, human trafficking implies force or coercion (willing to be corrected in my understanding though). People on small channel boats don't look like they're being trafficked to me, they look like very keen participants (apart from children obviously). I've seem them described as being trafficked and the boat organisers human traffickers.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/21/civil-servant-kept-nigerian-woman-in-servitude

This is the sort of case I've been involved in.

And this charity works with trafficked people and is a good resource if you want to know more about the topic (and you can give them money if you like!)

https://atleu.org.uk/

We had training on how to spot when I worked for McDonald's (and it must have been four or five years ago now!)

Actually, the CL model is evolving and there is national discussion about changing this definition as the line controllers are more frequently using kids in their home locations with less travelling involved. So it's more the controllers who are moving about, but they still use mules - teenagers on trains and buses are still very very common and it's still trafficking.

However, a key element remains the exploitation of people, particularly children, and the trafficking can also be for sexual offences, grooming and mules....

Because unfortunately it's difficult, time consuming and takes a multi agency response to do it properly.
It's easy to go in, arrest people and shut it down, but that just deals with the people on the ground, not the organisers. The organisers will simply cut their losses and move on somewhere else.

I am a barrister and have represented victims of human trafficking who were brought into the UK by people ordinarily resident here. Often they have been brought in on the (now defunct) migrant domestic worker visa, or just an ordinary visitor visa (on an ordinary commercial flight) and they then disappear. Many are mistreated and made to work for no pay.

The term sex worker minimises what these poor women are, they are prostituted women. To me a sex worker is the bastard that pimps them out.

@BouleDeSuif That sounds harrowing. Hope you’re in a better place now?

So are there any legitimate nail salons, car washes ? How can we tell ?

There are clear signs!

1. You are paying fuck all.
2. You are paying in cash
3. The people providing the service don't speak much english and there's one "overseer" who does who's also dealing with all the money

By contrast

1. Nail tech is speaking fluent English
2. handles the money themselves
3. has her own phone in her pocket & maybe it rings between appointments
4. Chats to you about the local community - schools, churches, pubs, sports clubs
5. Is paid enough to be earning prob £15/h themselves on top of costs for equipment, energy usage, travel between appointments etc

Less likely to be trafficked

If its cheap there's a way they make it cheap.

To clarify I was talking about the cruise ship bit not Madeleine McCann. I’ve tried googling but found nothing.

It's everywhere. I support victims of trafficking and it's never ending.
Some of the people have been moved through multiple countries and exploited in every one, some are from the UK and.have been exploited in different locations here.

How do they fly them in? A private plane?

Loads of ways!

Trucks/chunnel
Small boats
Student visas
Tourist visa "visiting family" then disappear

Are you joking? Your username seems appropriate.

Fruit pickers, nail bars, hand car washes, sex workers.

I remember about 10 years ago a major raid on a fruit farm in Kent, many young men and women stuck in shipping containers on the farm with no light and inadequate facilities. All trafficked.

@Misthios of course some are flying in. Also ferries ??

Ex police despatch officer.
YABU. And naive. It happens.
Often.

Link please

I suspect that the OP is maybe AI or not asking genuine questions, however… this is an excellent thread, and regardless of the origin it’s so important that we talk about and educate ourselves and each other on this. There is so much ignorance on the topic and that’s what allows this ‘industry’ to thrive, ignorance and the fear of misunderstanding/offending someone.

There are particular industries and cultural groups where its a known problem.

A friend works in a legal service where it comes up and said one area of concern is domestic staff in some migrant communities from countries where labour is cheaper where its more normal to have servants. People are are brought here (sometimes illegally) then have passports taken & aren't paid.