Africans Unite Against Child Abuse
Promoting the Rights and Welfare of African Children
In Partnership with
ECPAT UK
THE UNSEEN SLAVE NEXT DOOR –
ADDRESSING THE TRAFFICKING OF CHILDREN FOR DOMESTIC SLAVERY
Seminar on 1st July 2011
Central London
Time: 9:30 am to 4:00 pm
About AFRUCA
AFRUCA – Africans Unite Against Child Abuse is a leading charity promoting the rights and welfare of
African children in the UK. We are a UK based charity working exclusively with victims of child
trafficking from Africa.
INTRODUCTION
Domestic servitude is a shocking reality whereby children and adults are treated as mere chattel.
They are bought, owned, controlled, exploited and enslaved in people’s houses. Children who should
be at school are working 18 hours a day, seven days a week. They are exposed to inhumane and
degrading treatment, which includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Domestic Servitude takes
place next to us, in our community, in our environment. Domestic servitude is modern day slavery
and one of the most hidden forms of child cruelty.
This year in the UK there have been 2 successful convictions against individual for trafficking and
exploiting humans as domestic slaves1. A group of four young women successfully brought a suit
1
A case of modern day slavery in the suburbs, BBC News, March 2011 and Pastor Jailed for trafficking African
Slave, BBC News, March 2011
against the Metropolitan Police Service for professional negligence for failing to investigate their
trafficking claim for domestic servitude. In other instances, a local authority agreed a settlement
figure with a former victim of domestic slavery. It is certain that many more cases like the above will
come to the fore.
Yet despite all the above legal achievements, this is still just a drop in the ocean. Domestic servitude
is a too often an overlooked crime, despite the deeply concerning large numbers of victims. In 2010
CEOP2 (Child Exploitation Online Protection) recorded 25 children exploited for domestic servitude
and 19 children exploited for forced labour. Although Section 71 of the Coroners and Justice Act
2009 makes it an offence to hold someone in slavery or servitude or require them to perform forced
or compulsory labour, too often human traffickers are still able to avoid detection and prosecution.
Experts in the field believe agencies and government do not see Domestic Servitude as being on a
par with Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation – hence the low level of intervention involved in
detecting and protecting victims. This gap in intervention and prosecution of traffickers means the
practice is continuing unabated yet the impacts and consequences of this abuse are as devastating
for victims and survivors.
In addition, according to the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group, the National Referral Mechanism
put in place by the UK Government to help victims of trafficking for exploitation, is “not fit for
purpose”3. Recent NRM statistics show that out of 187 referrals of children from countries outside
the UK only 32 children (17%) have been granted a positive final decision that they are accepted as
victims of trafficking4.
This conference will bring together a range of practitioners with responsibility for counter trafficking
work. It will explore many of the factors that continue to fuel the growth in the trafficking of
children for domestic servitude as well as gaps in the system that makes the safeguarding of victims
difficult. It will examine recent court cases with a view to identifying lessons to be learnt by agencies
in putting together strategies and protocols for addressing the problem.
Speakers
Ms. Christine Beddoe, ECPAT Director
Cherifa Atoussi, AFRUCA, Anti Child Trafficking Officer – The Challenges of Supporting Victims of
Domestic Slavery
Mr Tony Murphy, Partner, Bhatt Murphy Solicitors: Using the Human Rights Act to ensure
trafficking is effectively investigated
Survivor of Domestic Servitude “Buki” – My Experience as a Victim of Domestic Slavery
Chair: Debbie Ariyo, AFRUCA Director
2
CEOP Strategic Threat Assessment 2010
3
Wrong kind of victim? One year on…an analysis of UK measures to protect trafficked persons, Anti-Trafficking Monitoring
Group, June 2010
4
Child Trafficking In the UK, A Snapshot, ECPAT 2010
Who Shall Attend:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Child Rights Practitioners
Policy Makers, Immigration and Borders officials
The Police
Social Workers
Lawyers, Barristers and Immigration practitioners
Faith groups
NGOs – local and international
Fees: £40 per delegate. Please note that profit of the event will go toward supporting victims of
trafficking
Registration:
Please complete attached booking form and return with payment to Cherifa Atoussi, Anti
Child Trafficking Officer, cherifa@afruca.org
AFRUCA Seminar Booking Form
Please return completed booking form by post, fax or email to:
AFRUCA, Head office Unit 3d/f Leroy house, 436 Essex Road, London N1 3QP
Email: cherifa@afruca.org. Fax: 0844 660 8661. Telephone: 0844 660 8607
Please photocopy this form if you want to book more than one delegate place
Seminar Title: THE UNSEEN SLAVE NEXT DOOR – ADDRESSING THE TRAFFICKING OF CHILDREN FOR
DOMESTIC SLAVERY
Date: 1st July 2011
Venue: Central London
Delegate Name : ...........................................................
Job Title: .......................................................................................................................
Organisation: ................................................................................................................
Address: .......................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................
Post Code: ....................................................................................................................
Email: ....................................................................
Telephone: ......................................
Fax: .........................................................................................
Please give a brief description of your present job ................................................................
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
What do you hope to achieve from this seminar? ....................................................................
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
Equality:
Please specify any dietary requirements: ...............................................................................
Special Access Requirement : ............................................................................................
PAYMENT (Please tick one option)
□ I enclose a cheque made payable to AFRUCA for £40.00 or
□ Please invoice (if you do not send a cheque with this form you will automatically receive
an invoice. We charge an administrative fee of £8 for invoicing. Please indicate who we
should invoice if different from above)
Note: The details of your organisation will remain confidential to AFRUCA.
Your details will be held on a computer database so that we can send you information about
our training events, publications and products or services that may be of interest to you.
Please advise us in writing if you do not wish to receive further information from us.
Applicant’s signature: ……………………………………………. Date: ...........................