OUGD505: Product Range Distribution: Trafficking UK Stats

General Stats

• There are an estimated 35.8 million people enslaved in the world. (The Global Slavery Index 2014)
• There are an estimated 20.9 million people that are victims of forced labor. (ILO)
• There are more people in slavery today than at any other time in history. (Polaris)
• It is difficult to know an exact number of people enslaved, as victims are often hidden. Whether they be locked in a house or business, or hidden in plain view, “disguised” as farm workers, prostitutes, or house keepers, modern day slaves are not always easy to identify.
• Every 30 seconds, another person becomes a victim of human trafficking. (UN.GIFT)

UK Trafficking Statistics 

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/sep/30/thousands-trafficked-uk-slavery-police-report
It’s a growing issue, affecting men, women and children.1,746 CASES REPORTED in the UK in 2013 - a 47% increase on the number of cases reported in 2012**. But these are just the victims we know about. Slavery’s hidden nature means actual numbers are likely to be far, far higher.

There were 549 estimated cases of potentially trafficked children in 2012, though it is thought that this number is likely to be far higher due to the hidden nature of this crime. Statistics show that girls are more likely to be trafficked than boys and that children are most commonly trafficked from South East Asia, West Africa and Eastern Europe.

Statistics released by the National Crime Agency (NCA) show the number of potential victims of trafficking last year increased by 22% on 2012, rising to 2,744 people from more than 86 countries, of whom 602 were children.

Of all known victims of labour trafficking, 78% were European Economic Area nationals legally working in the UK.

There has been a significant rise in the number of UK victims. British people made up 7% of the overall trafficking figures last year, up from 4% in 2012. Nearly 90% of UK children identified as potential victims of trafficking by the NCA had been sexually exploited, an increase of 250% on 2012.

The NCA admitted that people who were trafficked into the UK for criminal exploitation, such as being forced to work in cannabis factories or begging gangs, were still seen as criminals rather than victims in some cases.

The report indicated that some victims had been sold on several times after entering the UK, for amounts ranging from £200-6,000. Nigerian traffickers, who arrange for documentation and travel for women who believe they are coming to the UK for legitimate work, are demanding up to £50,000 from their victims, who are forced into prostitution to pay off their debts.

“Modern slavery is an appalling crime that has no place in today’s society,” Karen Bradley, the modern slavery and organised crime minister, said. “Yet these figures show that it is taking place here – often out of sight – in shops, fields, building sites and behind the curtains of houses on ordinary streets.”