ONLY last month, Antonia*, who survived sexual exploitation in the UK, celebrated a historic win when she was awarded significant compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act. This is highly unusual for victims of trafficking who return to their home countries after exploitation in the UK, as frequently they are not informed of their right to compensation.
International Justice Mission (IJM) supported Antonia, who is Romanian, as she successfully testified against her traffickers in court; but, as a recent BBC investigation showed so viscerally, the exploitation that Antonia suffered is far from unusual.
Children as young as ten are being groomed in Romania before being sent to the UK, where they are forced into sexual exploitation, unable to leave for fear of traffickers’ hurting them or their families back home. This is a crime that is taking place in communities all over the UK, hidden in plain sight, and the pandemic has made even more people vulnerable.
THIS is why it is so significant that the General Synod has focused on trafficking at its meeting this week. On Wednesday, members unanimously endorsed a motion moved by Durham diocesan synod to “acknowledge the leading role that Her Majesty’s Government has played internationally in challenging slavery”, and to “ask Her Majesty’s Government to introduce legislation to ensure proper provision for the ongoing support and protection of trafficked minors is enshrined in law”.
Action against trafficking is needed urgently, and this will require collaboration not only from government, police, and NGOs, but also from churches.
IJM has seen the huge impact that churches can have through prayer, awareness-raising, and generosity, offering services directly to support victims and survivors of trafficking, and partnering with organisations that are working to prevent exploitation in the first place. We are encouraged to see the Church of England prioritise anti-trafficking efforts at this critical moment.
Trafficking is a growing problem around the world. It is a vast industry, generating $150 billion a year, in which traffickers profit from many kinds of exploitation: from forced work in brick kilns, factories, and brothels, to the live-streaming of the sexual abuse of children over the internet.
To date, IJM has brought more than 66,000 people to safety from trafficking and violence, and this would not have been possible without the support of the global Church. We have witnessed the truly remarkable impact of prayer, giving, and practical action from churches in the countries in which we work, and have seen the unique potential of churches to create change because of their position in local communities (Podcast, 30 July 2021).
The decision of churches to tackle trafficking has a real and tangible impact on the lives of trafficking victims and survivors.
For example, we have seen minors brought to safety from sexual exploitation, thanks to the courageous action of churches. In 2020, Dominican police were able to bring a 14-year-old girl to safety from sexual exploitation, thanks to a church that IJM had trained to report the signs of trafficking in their community. The principal of the girl’s school, who was part of the church, suspected that something was wrong when the girl’s mother reported that she was no longer living at home, and was instead living under the control of a 58-year-old man.
The principal reported this to IJM, who were able to support local authorities to bring her to safety. Without church partnerships, this would never have been possible. We have seen similar stories repeated around the world, as pastors and congregations raise awareness and identify trafficking in their communities.
SIMILARLY, we have seen our church partners offer support directly to survivors of trafficking — through counselling, accommodation, and the meeting of other practical needs. This holistic care is an essential part of reducing vulnerability to re-trafficking, as, without adequate support, survivors can easily fall back into the hands of their traffickers.
For example, in the Philippines, a global hotspot for the trafficking of children for online sexual exploitation, we have seen church partners provide shelter and educational support for survivors, ensuring that they are kept safe as they recover from trauma.
Trafficking is a growing problem in the UK, too. From the exploitation of women such as Antonia, who are trafficked across borders, to the presence of slavery in the supply chains of consumer goods that we buy every day, there are myriad ways in which trafficking has an impact on our daily lives, whether we are aware of it or not.
Even the technology that we use can be a conduit for trafficking: the online sexual exploitation of children commonly takes place on mainstream social-media platforms (Comment, 15 October 2021).
This week’s General Synod debate has opened the door to further discussion and action on this urgent issue, and IJM looks forward to seeing the Church of England continue to play a leading part in anti-trafficking efforts, building on the successes of the Clewer Initiative.
Together, we can end trafficking — and the Church has a crucial part to play.
David Westlake is the chief executive of International Justice Mission UK: IJMUK.org
*Not her real name
