Human trafficking is a world wide problem. Criminal gangs operate global networks, and the UK is one of their destinations.
On arrival in the UK, women are often sold into prostitution. Some are coerced, others are tricked.
Shards of light
Christians in the UK are responding to the need. Working together, churches from one town will often link up and form a charity that can reach out to some of these women.
Tearfund partner the National Christian Alliance on Prostitution (NCAP) unites and equips these groups and other organisations working with people involved in or exploited by the sex industry.
One NCAP affiliate was told about an African girl called Shani* who had been admitted to a hospital in north London for medical treatment.
When the time came for her to leave hospital, she said she had nowhere to go. She had been brought over to the UK by boat and was being forced to work as a prostitute.
Shani had been brought to the hospital because she was pregnant and was being made to have an abortion. The affiliate put Shani’s social worker in touch with one of the organizations NCAP works with.
She was moved into safe housing where she has been for the last three months. The safe housing was provided by another NCAP affiliate who last year opened three such houses across the country.
Slavery in the UK
Rosslyn Okumu, development manager with NCAP, writes the following about prostitution in the UK.
‘Prostitution and sex trafficking are contemporary forms of slavery. Approximately 4,000 individuals are trafficked into the UK each year for the purposes of enforced prostitution . The victims are predominantly women and children from relatively poor countries or from countries where there is conflict.
They are lured by the false promise of a better life. Before they reach the UK they have often been kidnapped, intimidated, humiliated, raped, abused, beaten and drugged. On arrival in this country they can be held captive and forced to provide sexual services to as many as 20 clients a day, seven days a week.
Lift the lid
In a government initiative in early 2006, police forces in the UK in partnership with the leading law enforcement agencies undertook more than 500 operational visits to massage parlours, saunas, brothels, houses and flats in suburban areas across the UK.
The aim was to assess the extent of trafficking for sexual exploitation in the UK. 188 women were rescued. Of these 84 were confirmed as trafficked; 12 were between the ages of 14 and 17 and nationalities ranged from Eastern European, African, Asian, Far East and South America.
Less than ten per cent of potential outlets for commercial sex were visited which means that there are potentially hundreds of victims still to be rescued.
No choice
Prostitution is inherently unjust. Some are forced into prostitution by sophisticated criminal networks of pimps who target, dominate and coerce vulnerable individuals into the trade.
Others become involved as a result of financial pressures and the lack of alternatives for work, due to insufficient education and skills. For many of those not trafficked into prostitution, it is not their preferred choice of ‘work’ but a matter of survival.
Most will be battling a range of personal problems such as child sexual abuse, homelessness, violence or drug dependence. The majority will encounter extreme levels of violence, both physical and sexual, on a daily basis.
Bring hope
There are a number of simple things you can do to help NCAP and their associates in their work.
• Commit to praying regularly for those involved in prostitution and for those working to help them leave the trade
• Visit NCAPs website, www.ncapuk.org , to find out how to book a speaker, volunteer for a project, start your own church project or download their resources
• Log on to the www.breakthetraffic.com and join the protest
• Log on to www.gatheredvoices.com and read the views of those directly involved
* Her name has been changed to protect her identity
sources: NCAP; UK Human Trafficking Centre, www.ukhtc.org