Prynhawn Da/Good afternoon and thank you to Conwy Citizens Advice for inviting me to say a few words at today’s event launching their new “Tackling Modern Slavery in Ever Changing Times” project.
Modern Slavery is a reality in our country, where abuses take place through forced labour, sexual exploitation, forced criminality and County Lines, domestic servitude and other forms of exploitation.
Partnerships between the statutory agencies and the third sector are key to tackling this crime, protecting the vulnerable, educating all members of the community, supporting survivors and working towards making Wales a safer place, where criminals are not able to exploit others.
Five years ago, the UK passed landmark legislation in its fight against modern slavery with the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
This has been described as groundbreaking in the way it defined and consolidated modern slavery crimes, and increased sentences for perpetrators.
In October 2018 “I attended the North Wales Modern Slavery Forum, ahead of Modern Slavery Week that year, and Anti-slavery Day across the UK, organised by the third sector organisation, ‘Haven of Light’, for survivors of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking in North Wales.
As many of you will know, their Director Ali Ussary, who is also the Modern Slavery lead for Conwy and District CAB, working with Conwy Citizen’s Advice Chief Executive, Gwyeth Millington and Team.
This 2018 event had representatives from public, private, business sectors, we had the Wales Anti-Slavery Co-ordinator, including the Police, the Anti-slavery Lead for the Police and Crime Commissioners in Wales, and Steve Chapman, the Anti-Slavery Co-ordinator for Wales.
We heard that alongside victims being trafficked into the UK, the biggest affected population in the UK are actually people born in Britain who are being trafficked by Britons.
We heard that Modern Slavery was alive in business, agriculture, hospitality, criminal activity and sexual exploitation across North Wales, in rural communities, towns and every single county.
In 2019 329 potential victims of Modern Slavery were identified and entered into the National Referral Mechanism – although in that year over 10,000 people throughout the UK were formally recognised, and we know that there are many more who were either too frightened, intimidated or unaware that the life they were living was in exploitation.
Last December I had an online catch-up meeting with Kevin Hyland OBE, who was the UK's first Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, prior to which he spent 30 years as a Police Officer, including four years leading London Metropolitan Police's Human Trafficking Unit, and Ali Ussery.
We discussed Human Trafficking issues including the need for information sharing, intelligence gathering and identification of criminal networks, and for a systematic strategy and action in order to get things done.
In 2018 Kevin was elected as Ireland’s representative to the Council of Europe Independent Group of Experts for Trafficking and he leads several international anti trafficking projects.
North Wales Police, who I am told are also taking part in this meeting have a dedicated Modern Slavery Unit and have welcomed the introduction of this Citizens Advice Conwy project.
As members of the public reach out for advice and support, the partnership between the two organisations will enable the signs to be spotted and action taken.
Last year’s Centre for Social Justice and anti-slavery charity “Justice and Care” report, “It Still Happens Here: Fighting UK Slavery in the 2020s” states there are likely to be more than 100,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK - including more than 4,600 in Wales.
This report also found:
- That many thousands of children, women and men of all nationalities and backgrounds - including a growing number of British citizens - continue to be trafficked and exploited for profit by ruthless criminal networks.
- That our understanding of slavery and how to fight it must improve on the frontline if we are to tackle it.
- That a ‘local lottery’ exists when it comes to prioritising the anti-slavery fight across public authorities.
- And that Human traffickers and Organised Crime Groups are running riot in too many communities, with very few facing prosecution relative to the number of victims found and even fewer convicted.
Today’s event launches the “Tackling Modern Slavery in Uncertain Times” project.
I am told that Citizens Advice Conwy and their partners Haven of Light are grateful to the Gwynt y Môr Community Fund for funding the part time post of Modern Slavery Lead, .
As the Modern Slavery Lead, Ali will deliver training to staff and volunteers and also to local community groups and other agencies, providing current and detailed information about modern slavery – from both a North Wales perspective, and a global view, including reference to the Council of Europe’s work, issues such as international supply chains, and personal links with source countries such as Romania and Albania.
Haven of Light is a well-established organisation on the European scene and involved in training and advocacy throughout the continent.
Citizens Advice Conwy are concerned about the wellbeing of people locally who may be at risk or have experienced modern slavery in their lives, and will be available to provide advice and services for survivors.
They will have a visible community outreach initiative making sites available where people can report concerns confidentially, which Gwyneth will talk about later.
They have purchased Green ‘letter boxes’, which will be placed initially at the Dewi Sant Community Centre Pensarn and Llandudno Town Hall, and then various other locations, so that members of the community will be able to report concerns anonymously in the months ahead.
The partnership involved in the “Tackling Modern Slavery in Ever Changing Times” project being launched today focuses on those in our communities who are vulnerable, at risk or have experienced exploitation.
We need excellent partnerships of organisations such as this to continue, delivering bespoke projects which prioritise the person’s wellbeing as they move on with their lives.