Thanks to the Croydon Advertiser for bringing the plight of trafficked women in our area to the readers' attention once again.  

Last night I went out for a drink with my friends.  One of them told me that her neighbours, who are a group of Turkish men, are frequently very loud at night and so she cannot sleep.  She can hear women screaming and crying in the courtyard at around 4 a.m. on most occasions.  She has reported this incident.

Tomorrow a one-day conference will be held here in Croydon with an aim to discuss preventing human trafficking in our local area.

Croydon Borough Commander David Musker has asked for widespread awareness among the local community as two reports have come in from local primary schools concerning threats to school children.

In one incident near Smitham Primary School in Coulsdon, a girl was approached and asked to accompany a man.  When she refused he drove off.  This morning parents noticed a car parked outside a school in South Norwood, which then disappeared as people took notice of it. 

These are classic signs of traffickers watching and waiting to pounce on their prey.  Please be careful and please be aware.

Another amazing CCAT Supporter is performing another amazing feat to raise support for our work and to raise awareness about what we do - James Allen, thank you!  James wrote to us and asked if we had ever had anyone skydive for us before....and we had to say 'no' - but that didn't deter him from organising  the event, which is due to take place in mid-July.  James was inspired to help after CCAT gave a talk at his church - Beulah Family Church in Thornton Heath - and after attending our Whistleblower event.  

Six men have been found guilty of drugging, raping, trafficking and using young girls as prostitutes in Oxford.

The girls were all in care and the supposed safe-keeping of the local authority in Oxford. 

The men were described by police as 'predators who identified the most vulnerable girls in society and corrupted them entirely'.   The case comes less than a year after the Rochdale case when MPs launched an enquiry and found major faults in care across the country. 

For the full story, click here.
Source:  The London Evening Standard

The story hit the headlines last night.  Police in the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea have smashed a sex-slave ring, and rescued nine trafficked women.

What struck me is that the story holds true to so many of the facts that we speak about every time we seek to raise awareness about the traits of trafficking.
1)  The victims were tricked into coming to the UK from Eastern Europe by the lure of jobs in the leisure industry
2)  Once they arrived, they were forced to work as prostitutes, told that their family would be in danger if they refused to obey
3)  The suspected ringleader, as well as many of the other traffickers, were women. 

This success for the Human Trafficking and Prostitution Unit was the first carried out by the European Communities Against Trafficking (ECAT), a scheme part-funded by the European Commission, and was also helped by the bravery of the victims in coming forward to police. 

Victims of trafficking were urged to call the 24-hour helpline on 0800 783 2589

For the full story, click here
Source:  The Evening Standard

You'll have heard the amazing, horrifying story of the three girls rescued in Cleveland, Ohio, after nine, ten and eleven years of absence.  Neighbours were stunned and couldn't believe what had been going on.  BUT....read further, and you'll see there were signs and disturbing warnings around.  A little girl appearing at the window of a house with no children.  A naked woman on her hands and knees disappearing back into the house.  A scream.  Our message today is BE VIGILANT.  Be aware.  Spot the signs and don't think that you are being a nosy neighbour by reporting something that may just save someone's life.  Or save them from spending years of abuse and torture - unseen, unheard.  

Since 2006, Stop the Traffik have been campaigning to keep the ingredients of injustice and exploitation out of the manufacture of chocolate.

Thanks to the pressure from them, some of the major companies have now begun to take steps to become more accountable for how they source their cocoa.

However, recent predictions are that the demand for cocoa for chocolate will rise to no less than 1 billion tonnes in the next decade, which is putting huge pressure to supply this demand on cocoa farmers, especially in West Africa.

Our fears are that this will lead to an increase in human trafficking, as panic spreads and the need for cheap labour increases.

Please continue to seek out fair-trade chocolate and cocoa products at every opportunity.  And if you care to do so, keep badgering the big companies to change their ways and ensure that their cocoa is sourced and paid for responsibly. 

For more information on this, click here.
Photo:  Stop the Traffik