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An official study first of its kind had given the various reasons why human trafficking takes place in the UK. (28 August 2012)

Date: 28/08/2012
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, An official study first of its kind had given the various reasons why human trafficking takes place in the UK.

The assessment has revealed that the reasons were diverse for which people were being smuggled into the country. It included domestic servitude, sexual and criminal exploitation and organ harvesting.
The United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre's 2011 baseline assessment has said that 11% of victims were trafficked for the purposes of domestic servitude; 1% for organ harvesting; 5% for multiple exploitation; 17% for criminal exploitation; 22% for labour exploitation; and 31% for sexual exploitation. The remaining 13% were trafficked for reasons unknown.

The report, which was compiled from information, submitted by police forces, the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, the UK Border Agency and other organisations, suggested that last year some 2,077 potential victims of human trafficking were identified in the UK.
The study has strong disparity with the popular perception that trafficking was mainly for the purposes of prostitution.
The assessment revealed that, "for the first time, two potential victims reported that they had been trafficked specifically for organ harvesting," and noted a third person was also suspected to have been trafficked for such a purpose.
According to the UKHTC, great demand for kidneys was the dominating factor without much risk to the life of the donor.
Klara Skrivankova, Anti-Slavery International's trafficking programme co-ordinator, said that The UKHTC 2011's assessment shows that more than 50% of trafficking in the UK happens for purposes other than sexual exploitation.

The prevalence of trafficking for forced labour in industries like agriculture, construction or food processing was a problem which was being pointed towards for a number of years.
The five most common countries of origin for victims of trafficking were Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Nigeria. However, an Observer analysis of trafficking figures recorded by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency's National Referral Mechanism database provides an alternative snapshot.
Europol, the international police agency, has identified Nigerian organised crime as one of the largest law enforcement challenges to European governments. In many cases, Nigerian victims were trafficked after a friend or family member offered a child a chance for a better life abroad. Witch doctors performed ceremony which put fear into the victims who did not report their plight leaving their abuse hidden from authorities.
Another key trend was trafficking of Vietnamese children into the UK who were forced to work in cannabis farms and some exploited in brothels and nails bars or for street crimes.
The UKHTC assessment found many trafficked victims were told that they owed huge debts for their travel costs. And then they were subjected to labour exploitation, sexual exploitation or criminal exploitation until they are perceived to have repaid their debt.

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