Construction and the Modern Slavery Act: Tackling exploitation in the UK – Home Office
‘This report examines the UK construction industry’s response to the Modern Slavery Act.’
Home Office, 9th October 2018
Source: www.gov.uk/home-office
Category: trafficking in human beings
People traffickers jailed after exploiting vulnerable and homeless people – Crown Prosecution Service
‘A gang of human traffickers, including six members of the same family, have been jailed for more than 24 years’ for trafficking and exploiting vulnerable and homeless people.’
Crown Prosecution Service, 4th October 2018
Source: www.cps.gov.uk
Drug dealer jailed for trafficking vulnerable children in ‘county lines’ operation – The Independent
‘A man who trafficked three children, including a 14-year-old girl, to use as drug dealers in a “county lines” ring has been jailed for 14 years in a landmark prosecution.’
The Independent, 4th October 2018
Source: www.independent.co.uk
UK watchdogs demand transparency from Facebook amid child trafficking claim – Daily Telegraph
‘UK child protection organisations have called for Facebook to improve transparency on its site, after a new lawsuit in America claimed that it is being used to lure children into the sex trade. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) said Facebook should be forced to report how many child abusers it identifies online to help measure the scale of the problem.’
Daily Telegraph, 3rd Ocotber 2018
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Human trafficking: is our system for combating it fit for purpose? – UK Human Rights Blog
‘Human trafficking or modern slavery is one of the most appalling forms of criminal activity today. It’s also one of the most widespread and fastest-growing.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 28th September 2018
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
UK agrees principles for tackling modern slavery in supply chains – Home Office
‘The UK has developed, alongside the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, principles for nations to adopt to tackle modern slavery in global supply chains.’
Home Office, 25th September 2018
Source: www.gov.uk/home-office
First ever convicted cross-border sex-trafficker has sentence increased – Attorney General’s Office
‘The first person to be convicted under the Modern Slavery Act for human trafficking outside the UK has today had her sentence increased after the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, personally argued that her sentence was too low in the Court of Appeal.’
Attorney General's Office, 20th September 2018
Source: www.gov.uk
Case Comment: R (Bashir & Ors) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] UKSC 45 Part Two – UKSC Blog
‘The Supreme Court held that the terms of the Convention do not entitle the respondents to be resettled in the UK metropolitan territory. Overall, a state’s duties to a refugee reaching a particular territory – whose international relations the state controls – are in principle and in normal circumstances limited to providing and securing the refugee’s Convention rights in that context.’
UKSC Blog, 24th August 2018
Source: ukscblog.com
Case Comment: R (Bashir & Ors) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] UKSC 45 Part One – UKSC Blog
‘In a complex interim judgment dealing with threshold issues, the Supreme Court has asad-khanheld that both the Refugee Convention 1951 and the 1967 Protocol extend to the UK’s Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Britain occupied Cyprus between 1878 and 1960. Secretive deal making with the Ottoman Empire led the British Empire to forge an alliance with the Turks to protect them from Russia. The British initially occupied and administered Cyprus and ultimately annexed it upon the outbreak of the First World War when the British and the Turks found themselves fighting on opposite sides. Turkey recognised the annexation in the Treaty of Lausanne 1923 and that status continued until the settlement between the UK, Greece and Turkey in 1960 when Cyprus became a republic. Like Britain’s other Mediterranean possessions the island was of military and strategic importance rather than economic value. Upon independence in 1960, the UK retained sovereignty over the SBAs to accommodate military bases which are now the only notable British strategic assets in the eastern Mediterranean. These proceedings threw up a number of issues including the respondents’ entitlement to resettlement in the UK under the Convention, the validity of the UK-Cyprus Memorandum of Understanding of 2003 on illegal migrants and asylum seekers, and whether the UK is in principle entitled to discharge its obligations under the Convention by arranging for support to be provided by Cyprus?’
UKSC Blog, 24th August 2018
Source: ukscblog.com
UK ‘Refusing Asylum To More Ex-Child Slaves Despite Safety Fears’ – Rights Info
‘Many teenage survivors of modern slavery are being sent back to nations where they have no relatives and are again at risk of being targeted by traffickers, according to new data.’
Rights Info, 15th August 2018
Source: rightsinfo.org
Modern slavery in the UK: ‘They could be sat right in front of you’ – BBC News
‘Slavery still exists in the UK, and it can be found in nail bars, factories, car washes and the cleaning industry.’
BBC News, 10th August 2018
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Trafficking victim awarded High Court damages in minimum wage and harassment claims – Cloisters
‘Anna Beale represented the claimant, Ms Ajayi, a migrant domestic worker, in this unusual High Court claim brought against her former employers, Mr and Mrs Abu, for payment of the minimum wage, harassment, breach of contract and personal injury. In August 2017, the court found that the “family worker” exemption to the requirement to pay the minimum wage did not apply in this case. The quantification of that claim, together with Ms Ajayi’s other claims, was dealt with in a further hearing, the final judgment from which has recently been released.’
Cloisters, 11th July 2018
Source: www.cloisters.com
Gang who planned to bring migrants to UK on jet skis convicted – The Guardian
‘People-smugglers behind a scheme to bring migrants across the Channel on jet skis are facing jail.’
The Guardian, 7th August 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
Modern slavery law review as gangs ‘evolve’ – BBC News
‘The UK’s modern slavery legislation is to be reviewed as criminal gangs find new ways to exploit victims, the Home Office has announced.’
BBC News, 30th July 2018
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
UK under fire over slavery measures after ‘disturbing’ case of trafficked boy – The Guardian
‘The government is under pressure to better protect victims of modern slavery and human trafficking in the UK, after landmark rulings against the Home Office’s treatment of a 15-year-old child and other victims. Lawyers are challenging “systematic deficiencies” in Theresa May’s flagship strategy to tackle modern slavery and protect victims. They urged the Home Office to respond to recent court rulings that show vulnerable victims are being failed.’
The Guardian, 28th June 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
UK nurse is first person convicted under modern slavery laws – The Guardian
‘A British nurse has become the first person to be convicted under new modern slavery laws, after being found guilty of trafficking five Nigerian women to Germany to work as prostitutes.’
The Guardian, 28th June 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
Government thwarted in bid to deport modern slavery victim who feared he would be killed if returned – The Independent
‘The government has made a U-turn over the deportation of a Vietnamese modern slavery victim after The Independent highlighted his plight.’
The Independent, 13th June 2018
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Home Office under fire over ‘muddled’ strategy on slavery that fails victims – The Guardian
‘Anti-trafficking campaigners have accused the Home Office of a “muddled and inconsistent” strategy over modern slavery that is failing its victims, following the resignation of Britain’s first anti-slavery commissioner.’
The Guardian, 23rd May 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
Child slavery victim sues Home Office after sexual assault at Morton Hall – The Guardian
‘A Vietnamese victim of child slavery has launched legal proceedings against the government after he was sexually assaulted at Morton Hall immigration removal centre, the Guardian can reveal.’
The Guardian, 7th May 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
Modern slavery strategy ‘yet to result in coherent action’, MPs find – The Independent
‘Modern slavery is not fully understood by the government and it has no idea if its crackdown is working, MPs have said, while warning that Brexit could worsen the situation.
The Public Accounts Committee concluded that “good intentions have yet to result in coherent action” against the crimes, with no measure of success for a nationwide strategy and inconsistency between regional police forces.’
The Independent, 2nd May 2018
Source: www.independent.co.uk
