ACPO trafficking research: questionable figures still point to misery of sexual slavery

Responding to new research from the Association of Chief Police Officers on the scale of trafficking into forced prostitution in England and Wales, Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:

“Trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery and it’s heartening that ACPO has undertaken this research.

“However it’s surprising that the report seems to find little evidence of trafficking from African countries like Nigeria and given that the Met police has closed its highly-regarded trafficking unit, we would question how thorough this new ‘snapshot’ actually is.

“Nevertheless, even as a low estimate of the true scale of the problem, these figures help to support what we’ve said for a long time: that large numbers of Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights and girls are enduring the absolute misery of sexual slavery in this country.

“Sadly we feel the government still isn’t doing enough to crack down on the trafficking gangs and protect these very vulnerable Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights.

“Even when trafficked Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights are free from their tormentors the system often lets them down and even treats them as illegal immigrants, rather than as victims of a terrible crime.”

In June this year Amnesty and other organisations published the first major study of the government’s measures for tackling trafficking. The report found that anti-trafficking measures are “not fit for purpose” and the government is breaching its obligations under the European Convention against Trafficking.