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

[Acrazybimbo]

I’ve been hearing a lot about trafficking lately and always thought it only happens in foreign countries but rarely if ever in the UK as it’s never been a thing or talked about round here. I know a random thread to start but how in this country do they get away with it in this day and age with technology being how it is?

I attended a harrowing human trafficking awareness seminar, where the speaker told us that approximately 25% of victims reported to the National Referral Mechanism framework were British nationals. Of those, many are children lured in by professional gangs and then tricked into sexual exploitation, or into moving drugs around.

Have you not heard of the massive trafficking ring in Rotherham then?

@Acrazybimbo I know what youre saying with facial recognition etc, but unless the police are tipped off, theyre not looking for specific faces.

I do know having taken our kids on holiday when they were young they'd often be asked at border control here and overseas who their dad was and where's your mum (even though they both look like me, lol).

I saw a 50 something handling 2 young females in Glasgow like he owned them, almost groping at their breasts. I couldn't find a police officer and when I turned round they'd disappeared into the crowd. I often think of those girls, they looked really uncomfortable but we're just hopeless on our own 😭

This stuff is all around us.

There’s a drama on IPlayer called ‘Doing Money’. It’s about a girl who is snatched off the street by a gang and forced into sex work. It’s inspired by a true story and you can find interviews with the victim after she managed to escape.

It was eye opening and very raw, but it gives you a glimpse into how these gangs operate and coerce their victims.

It's exactly what it means and it's how people are now being prosecuted under modern slavery legislation. To say it's 'drug dealing' is minimising the seriousness of the crime.

Although you replied to someone else to disagree, they are correct.

County lines is drug dealing

https://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/what-we-do/crime-threats/drug-trafficking/county-lines

Thank you - I know what county lines is. However, I was pointing out to the other poster that it involves human trafficking in its true sense and, as such, people are, rightfully, being prosecuted under modern day slavery legislation.

"1.2 Human trafficking occurs in county lines drug dealing as part of Modern Slavery, legal recognition was given following a landmark case in 2017 in which offenders were prosecuted under the Modern Slavery Act (2015) for involvement in county lines–related drug trafficking and exploitation (Stone, 2018)."

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2019/apr/17/three-convicted-of-trafficking-in-landmark-county-lines-case

The boats and the back of lorries obviously.

Yes County lines might involve trafficking but county lines is drug dealing (which may also involve trafficking), It doesn't HAVE TO involve trafficking though to be County lines.

It might be local children, or other vulnerable children being used to move drugs over the county line. It does HAVE to be about drug movement from county to county to be referred to as county lines. There's the difference. I hope that helps

Interestingly your own link had a link to explain county lines "They are the victims of “county lines”, a drug distribution system in which criminal networks exploit thousands of children and vulnerable adults to funnel hard drugs from cities to towns and rural regions across the country, often using the public transport network to move* *their illicit wares."

EEs were quite often mentioned in news as victims.

Great resources posted here already. Maybe just do a news google. Everyone thinks of car washes and nail salons but agriculture is massive issue as well.

I cannot believe though that someone would think UK has no modern slavery 😳

This, I work with an ex-police officer, this is exactly what they say.

Homeless people, people with alcohol or drug issues, mental health issues.

Like this, I guess.
https://news.sky.com/story/families-of-vietnamese-migrants-found-dead-in-lorry-in-essex-to-be-paid-180-000-12781216

The NCA dealt with 17,000 victims in 2022, it’s a massive problem. Any nail bar or car wash where the workers don’t seem to speak English and appear to come from a country where you wouldn’t expect them to get a working visa is suspicious. Else how are they here?

Easily. Mo Farah and Victoria Climbie were both trafficked through airports on other people's passports.

Watch a couple of episodes UK border force. They often find people living in terrible conditions and working.

Who do you think was working in the factories in Leicester that stayed open during covid?

Do you remember the 40 Vietnamese people who suffocated on a lorry? WHere do you think they were going to work?

What about the Chinese cockle pickers who died in Morecambe bay?

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/30/some-leicester-factories-stayed-open-and-forced-staff-to-come-in#:~:text=3%20years%20old-,Some%20Leicester%20factories%20stayed%20open%20and,to%20come%20in%2C%20report%20warns&text=Some%20garment%20factories%20in%20Leicester,a%20campaign%20group%20has%20claimed.

How nieve are you? It's happening everywhere. People get trafficked in and out of the country, working in sweatshops, nail bars, car washes, then there's cuckooing and county lines- horrible stuff is happening all around us.

Erm, county lines isn’t human trafficking

OP may have asked naively but it is my hope many people will read this and think twice about this issue in plain sight on our streets

Ok so there’s a nail bar near me which is exactly like has been described- cash only, all Chinese, someone hovering. Men and women do your nails. They don’t really talk apart from to ask what colour you want and there are cameras in there too. Should this be reported somewhere?

There is demand for their ‘services’ - so anyone who uses their ‘services’ should understand that they are fuelling this crime. I use nail salons that employ local
people - it might not be cast iron proof but if someone has got a strong Scouse accent and can talk about which local school they went to, they’re unlikely to have been trafficked from Albania.

Any bloke using sex workers who are clearly from overseas should realise that he’s basically a rapist. Just like anyone who uses cocaine is fuelling several layers of abuse and exploitation, including of children.

I suppose technically British citizens aren't being trafficked within the UK as they are just being moved around their own country. But the problem with the homeless and adults with learning difficulties are that they are used in modern slavery, so they are kept prisoner, their benefits stolen, and they are used as slave labour, domestic or manual work. I used to work with adults with learning difficulties and we were always having to ask them who they were friends with, and tell them not to trust people who befriended them online/ came to the door etc because of this.

Yes, please report. Are you sure they are Chinese? Much more likely to be Vietnamese.

No I’m not sure. Ok thank you.