Trafficking victims being turned down for compensation in ‘horrendous failing’ – The Independent

‘Trafficking victims are being turned down for compensation in a “horrendous and clear failing”, the anti-slavery commissioner has said, after new figures showed how few people can access support.’

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The Independent, 23rd July 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Children missing from Home Office hotels likely to have been trafficked, report finds – The Guardian

‘Scores of asylum-seeking children are still missing from the UK’s Home Office hotels as a new report reveals that many are likely to have been trafficked.’

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The Guardian, 17th July 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

People smuggler gets nearly a year extra time in jail for failing to payback over £65,000 of criminal profits in the Essex lorry deaths case – Crown Prosecution Service

‘Today (11 July 2024) at Margate Magistrates’ Court, Gheorghe Nica, 46, was ordered to serve a further eleven and half months imprisonment after failing to payback £65,157.65 which he was ordered to pay in a proceeds of crime confiscation hearing. All of the Confiscation Order monies recovered from Nica, which a Judge has determined is his available assets, will be paid by way of compensation to the families of the 39 victims.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 11th July 2024

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Home Secretary launches new Border Security Command – Home Office

‘Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has today set out the first steps to establishing a new UK Border Security Command (BSC).’

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Home Office, 7th July 2024

Source: www.gov.uk

From low-level drug dealer to human trafficker: are modern slavery laws catching the wrong people? – podcast – The Guardian

Posted June 14th, 2024 in forced labour, news, podcasts, trafficking in human beings by sally

‘When I heard that a boy from my primary school had been convicted of trafficking, I had to find out what had happened to make him fall so far.’

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The Guardian, 14th June 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Fraudster who fled abroad given extra jail time – BBC News

Posted June 4th, 2024 in fraud, fugitive offenders, news, sentencing, trafficking in human beings by tracey

‘A fugitive who went on the run while on trial for fraud six years ago has been given additional jail time.’

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BBC News, 3rd June 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Child refugees using people smugglers to reach family in UK, report warns – The Guardian

‘Child refugees are using people smugglers to cross the Channel in small boats to reunite with parents and other close relatives because delays in government family reunion processes are leaving them stranded in danger, according to a report.’

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The Guardian, 13th May 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Hundreds of potentially trafficked children ‘abandoned by Home Office’ – The Guardian

‘Hundreds of children identified as potential victims of trafficking are being abandoned by the Home Office and left vulnerable to exploitation, new data reveals. Released following a freedom of information (FoI) request, figures show that in 2022, 1,871 children identified as possible victims of trafficking or modern slavery dropped off the UK government system conceived to support them once they turned 18.’

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The Guardian, 8th May 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Rwanda scheme legal challenge: Charity preparing action – BBC News

‘One of the UK’s leading organisations helping victims of torture and trafficking is preparing legal action over the government’s Rwanda plan.’

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BBC News, 4th May 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Bristol drug dealer jailed for modern slavery offence – BBC News

‘A drug dealer who was involved in trafficking children to sell crack cocaine and heroin has been jailed.’

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BBC News, 25th April 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

From low-level drug dealer to human trafficker: are modern slavery laws catching the wrong people? – The Guardian

‘When armed police burst through his front door in Tottenham, north London, at 5am in September 2014, Glodi Wabelua knew things looked bad. The house was full of drug paraphernalia, including a hydraulic press, scales and mixing bowls, as well as a mobile phone full of incriminating texts advertising deals for crack cocaine and heroin.’

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The Guardian, 18th April 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Anti-trafficking Chains: Analyzing the Impact of Transparency Legislation in the UK Construction Sector – Law & Social Inquiry

‘A recurring conundrum lies at the heart of current anti-trafficking law and policy. Despite enormous efforts by civil society organizations, corporations, and governments to reduce human trafficking in supply chains, and the introduction of legislation in various countries that requires corporations to take active actions in this field, there is wide agreement that, so far, the desired change has not occurred. This article addresses this puzzle through studying the vibrant anti-trafficking activity in the UK construction sector that emerged following the enactment of the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA). Applying socio-legal methods, the article unpacks the structural dynamics that shape the implementation of the MSA in the construction sector. We find that the Act exacerbates the imbalanced power relations between firms and anti-trafficking initiatives, positioning the latter as suppliers of modern slavery risk solutions that are dependent on corporate will and funding. The article demonstrates that anti-trafficking initiatives in the construction sector largely follow a “supply chain logic” that significantly limits their capacities to transform corporate behavior. We develop the notion of “anti-trafficking chains” to describe the dynamics of anti-trafficking activities in supply chains and to problematize the entanglement of anti-trafficking actors in supply chain power structure and logic.’

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Law & Social Inquiry, 14th February 2024

Source: www.cambridge.org

Consultation on proposed sentencing guidelines for immigration offences – Sentencing Council

Posted March 25th, 2024 in consultations, immigration, news, sentencing, trafficking in human beings by tracey

‘The Sentencing Council is consulting on the first ever sentencing guidelines for immigration offences. The guidelines reflect legislative changes to the Immigration Act 1971 brought in by the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.’

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Sentencing Council, 20th March 2024

Source: www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk

Small boat pilot jailed after endangering more than 50 lives – Home Office

‘A small boat pilot has been jailed after crossing the Channel with more than 50 migrants in a perilously overcrowded dinghy.’

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Home Office, 21st March 2024

Source: www.gov.uk

Two jailed for trying to smuggle migrants out of UK – BBC News

Posted March 18th, 2024 in immigration, imprisonment, news, sentencing, trafficking in human beings by tracey

‘Two men have been jailed for a total of 12 years for trying to smuggle migrants out of the UK in a refrigerated lorry.’

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BBC News, 15th March 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

When Victims of Modern Slavery Became Offenders: The Unravelling of the UK’s Modern Slavery Agenda – Journal of Human Trafficking

Posted March 14th, 2024 in defences, duress, forced labour, news, trafficking in human beings, victims by sally

‘While victims of trafficking who commit crimes have a defense in law in England and Wales, this has not been without controversy in the courts and is increasingly threatened in practice as British government ministers heap suspicion on those formally seeking recognition as victims of modern slavery. In the first part of this article, we review recent criminal cases decided by the Court of Appeal in England and Wales to explore why it is that some victims of trafficking break the law. These cases reveal the impossible choices that constitute the nexus of circumstances that lead victims to offend. In the second part of this article, we examine the cases of three people convicted of modern slavery and allied immigration crimes that are excluded from the statutory defense in English and Welsh law to show how morally comprehensible the commission of serious crimes can be in the aftermath of exploitation, destitution and trauma. We conclude by urging academics and activists in the modern slavery field to be vocal about how few victims fit their stereotypes and to help articulate the irreconcilably difficult choices that explain why some break the law in immigration contexts that are overtly hostile toward them.’

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Jounal of Human Trafficking, 27th February 2024

Source: www.tandfonline.com

Luton drug dealers jailed for modern slavery offence – BBC News

‘Two men who sent a vulnerable teenager more than 100 miles from his home to sell Class A drugs have been jailed.’

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BBC News, 23rd February 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Asylum seeker with home-made boat sentenced after four migrants die in Channel – The Independent

‘An asylum seeker has been detained for nine years and six months for the manslaughter of fellow migrants who drowned trying to cross the English Channel.’

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The Independent, 23rd February 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

UK signs new deal with EU to tackle small boat crossings – BBC News

Posted February 23rd, 2024 in asylum, EC law, government departments, immigration, news, trafficking in human beings by michael

‘The UK has signed a new deal with the EU’s border agency to work more closely together to stop small boats crossing the English Channel.’

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BBC News, 23rd February 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Shamima Begum loses appeal against removal of British citizenship – The Guardian

‘Shamima Begum, who left Britain as a schoolgirl to join Islamic State, has lost an appeal against the decision to remove her British citizenship.’

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The Guardian, 23rd February 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com