Memorandum submitted by the POPPY Project
THE POPPY PROJECT—BACKGROUND
The POPPY Project provides supported accommodation
and holistic services to women who are trafficked into the UK
for the purposes of sexual exploitation. POPPY also functions
as a London-based research and development unit, specialising
in counter-trafficking and exiting prostitution work. The project
is the sole UK government-funded dedicated service for women trafficked
into sexual exploitation. Key stakeholders include the Border
and Immigration Agency, UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC), the
Metropolitan Police Service Human Trafficking Team and the CPS.
POPPY is run by Eaves Housing for Women, a registered
charity which has been working for 30 years to provide homeless
women across London with housing and support. Eaves is a feminist
organisation committed to lobbying for the abolition of prostitution:
exploitation caused by male demand for commercial sex acts, which
increases trafficking.
The Project was funded by the Home Office (Victims
and Confidence Unit) until March 2006 when funding transferred
to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform (reporting to the Ministry
of Justice). In order to receive housing and support from POPPY,
women need to meet the following criteria:
— That she has been trafficked into
the UK.
— That she has been involved in prostitution
and/or sexually exploited in the last three months.
— That she is willing to cooperate
with the authorities.
Since its inception, the POPPY Project has received
a total of 820 referrals from a range of actors, including statutory
agencies (police, immigration services, health and social services),
as well as NGOs, solicitors and individuals (self-referrals, punters,
members of the public).[129]
168 women have received full support, whilst 111 have been assisted
through our Outreach Service.
Set up in 2006 and tasked with identifying and
approaching women involved in the sex industry who may be victims
of trafficking. The Outreach Service does not provide accommodation
so is not bound by the same limited criteria as the Accommodation
& Support service. Women do not have to have been trafficked
to the UK or have been in prostitution for the past three months.
Women referred to the Outreach Service must
be:
— have been trafficked, and,
— forcibly exploited in prostitution,
— or have been in a situation of sexual
exploitation.
The POPPY Outreach Service also provides training
to law enforcement agencies, statutory and voluntary sector organisations
that come into contact with women who have been trafficked. This
involves awareness raising, training on identification of women
who have been trafficked and advice on ongoing practice.
THE SCALE
OF TRAFFICKING
IN WOMEN
FOR SEXUAL
EXPLOITATION IN
THE UK
1. Estimating the scale and type of activity
1.1 There is currently no agreed estimate
of the scale of trafficking for sexual exploitation in the UK.
Despite this, such information is a crucial component of anti-trafficking
activities. Information relating to the scale and type of trafficking
activity operating within the UK is needed in order to understand
the circumstances in which women are trafficked and the causal
factors which can be addressed by prevention initiatives outlined
in the UK Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking[130]
[hereinafter UK Action Plan]. Information is also needed to understand
what impact anti-trafficking measures are having.
1.2 Estimating the number of women trafficked
for sexual exploitation to the UK is difficult for three main
reasons. Firstly, trafficking is illegal and therefore may occur
undetected. Secondly, victims of trafficking may be unwilling
to disclose that they have been trafficked because they fear retribution
from traffickers or are too traumatised by the experience. Thirdly,
there has been a lack of cooperation between key agencies that
hold relevant data that could be used to calculate the number
of women trafficked to the UK.
1.3 POPPY therefore welcomes the inclusion
of three Action Points in the UK Action Plan that specifically
relate to improving government knowledge of the scale and nature
of trafficking in human beings in the UK. It is to be noted, however,
that more still needs to be done harmonise data collection.
The UK Action Plan identifies how the UK Human
Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) together with the Serious Organised
Crime Agency (SOCA) "will become a central point" for
data. It remains to be seen how this is being implemented in practice
however.
1.4 There are a number of ways, in addition
to the central collation of data, that the scale of trafficking
in women for prostitution/sexual exploitation can be measured.
For example, a study published by the Home Office in 2000 identified
71 women who were known to have been trafficked into the UK in
1998. The report also argued that the hidden problem was "several
times greater than we can currently document with certainty".
Using various data, it estimated that between 142 and 1420 women
had been trafficked into the UK in 1998.[131]
More recent Home Office research has suggested that as many as
4,000 women were trafficked into the UK for the purposes of sexual
exploitation in 2003.[132]
1.5 In addition, estimates can be made based
on a range of other information, including statistics from the
Immigration Appeals Tribunals, Border & Immigration Agency
(BIA) removal statistics, and the on and off-street sex industry.
Research carried out by the POPPY Project during the summer of
2004 found that out of approximately 8,000 women involved in off-street
prostitution in the capital, 80% were foreign nationals. The Project
believes that a large proportion of foreign national women are
likely to have been trafficked into the country.[133]
The survey also found that only 19% of women working in prostitution
in flats, parlours and saunas were originally from the UK.
1.6 In addition to collecting information
about the extent and scale of trafficking in the UK, the Government
should also collect and analyse information about all the national
activities (governmental and non-governmental) that are being
carried out to combat trafficking and assist trafficking victims.
Once such data has been collated, anonymous data should be published
regularly. This would require identifying a central national agency
where information from different sources could be brought together
and analysed. This could be an independent National Rapporteur
(on trafficking in human beings) or a comparable independent mechanism
with a similar mandate and expertise.
1.7 The POPPY Project is concerned that
there has been little attempt by the UK Government to quantify
the number of victims of all forms of human trafficking in the
UK. This is due in part to a lack of appropriate procedures for
victim identification and protection that clearly delineates who
will carry out such work and how such information will be accessed
and centralised.
IDENTIFYING VICTIMS
OF TRAFFICKING
2. The difficulty of finding those who have
been trafficked when they are normally too frightened to complain
to the authorities; and the role of NGOs in helping to identify
and assist victims
2.1 The identification of a woman or girl
as a trafficking victim can be complex and requires appropriate
interviewing and treatment. However, the experience of women supported
by the POPPY Project indicates that identification and subsequent
referral is highly dependent on the knowledge, experience and
commitment of individual officers or units within the police and
immigration services. Some good practice has developed, particularly
within the specialist police units dealing with trafficking, and
should be welcomed and shared. However, much more training is
required on the identification and referral of victims if the
authorities are to avoid repeating past mistakes.
2.2 Identifying women who have been trafficked
is a crucial first step to protecting and assisting victims of
trafficking. However, doing so is difficult, particularly as victims
of trafficking share many characteristics with other categories
of migrants and people experiencing abuse. Further, many are intimidated
and traumatised at the time that law enforcement agencies first
come into contact with them. They may not perceive themselves
to have been "trafficked" and are unlikely to provide
law enforcement agencies with accurate information that can be
used to bring a prosecution. In these circumstances it is all
too easy for law enforcement or immigration officials to wrongly
label a victim of trafficking as an "illegal immigrant"
prior to their being removed from the UK (deportation is a specific
legal category—most people are removed rather than deported).
2.3 Consequently, establishing formal procedures
to identify trafficking victims is a key part of any anti-trafficking
strategy. However, such procedures are not simply about identifying
potential victims. An integral part of such procedures is a referral
mechanism to ensure that victims are referred promptly to appropriate
services for protection and assistance. Another integral element
is a procedure to allow presumed victims of trafficking to recover
from possible trauma and reflect on the options available to them
before they are asked to provide information to law enforcement
officers.
2.4 Recent research into the health consequences
of trafficked women[134]
recommended that women who have been trafficked need time (up
to several months) to recover from their trauma after they have
escaped from their trafficking situation before they are able
to provide accurate information to law enforcement officials or
to make informed decisions about whether they want to risk cooperating
with a criminal investigation or not.
2.5 At present, there are no automatic rights
for victims of trafficking to remain in the UK even if they provide
substantial information and/or agree to testify in court proceedings
against their traffickers and perpetrators. The threshold to qualify
for leave to remain under Asylum and Humanitarian Protection legislation
remains very high, with the burden of proof falling to individual
victims to show that they are at risk of persecution if returned
to country of origin. As a result, victims of trafficking are
asked to make the decision to co-operate with the authorities
without knowing whether this may potentially put them at further
risk, should any pending application for leave to remain in the
UK be refused.
2.6 The system involving identification,
referral and reflection is known in some EU Member States as a
National Referral Mechanism. The UK Action Plan refers to the
need to develop a national referral mechanism with a clear point
of contact for initial identification and onward referral into
support services and a robust system for the formal identification
of victims. Such a mechanism is currently being trialled within
Pentameter 2 and this is welcome. However, the POPPY Project remains
concerned that in its current format, the mechanism is incompatible
with the provisions in the Council of Europe Convention on Action
Against Trafficking in Human Beings.
2.7 For this reason, the POPPY Project considers
that the UK should adopt a system of reflection delay and temporary
or permanent residence for all presumed trafficking victims who
would not otherwise be entitled to reside in the country in which
they have been identified. POPPY believes that the UK should also
implement a reflection period of no less than three months to
enable victims to recover sufficiently to make an informed decision
about whether to cooperate with a criminal investigation.
2.8 Experienced NGOs, such as the POPPY
Project, Anti-Slavery International, ECPAT and Amnesty International,
currently play no formal role in victim identification in the
UK. The POPPY Project believes that the expertise and knowledge
available in the NGO sector should be formally recognised through
the National Referral Mechanism, developed under the UK Action
Plan.
2.9 In recent years there has been growing
awareness amongst police and immigration services of the problem
of trafficking from Eastern Europe to Western Europe. However,
there appears to be less awareness that black African and Asian
women are also trafficked. The way that traffickers from different
parts of the world transport and treat women varies widely; the
way that African or Asian women are trafficked is usually very
different to that of Eastern European women, for example.
2.10 The POPPY Project has found that black
African women are more likely to be trafficked to private establishments
where they are less visible to police and sexual health outreach
services. This may go some way to explaining why so many black
African women are not immediately identified as having been trafficked
and are therefore taken to detention centres or prisons rather
than being immediately referred to the POPPY Project.[135]
3. The treatment of those who have been trafficked
but have no legal right to remain in the UK, including the requirements
imposed by the Council of Europe Convention on Combating Human
trafficking
3.1 The UK has made small but significant
measures in providing protection and assistance for victims of
trafficking since the POPPY Project was piloted in March 2003.[136]
The absence of specific legislative measures, such as residence
permits, access to statutory services and support to trafficking
victims in the UK,[137]
means that the protection afforded by the Refugee Convention and
the Human Rights Act is currently the only means by which women
can ensure that they will not be returned to their country of
origin once any police proceedings against their traffickers are
at an end.
3.2 Research recently published by the POPPY
Project in conjunction with the Refugee Women's Resource Centre
at Asylum Aid highlighted the need for the government to put more
of its energies into supporting women who have been trafficked
into this country by improving their access to the protection
available through the asylum determination process.
3.3 The report analyzed the asylum claims
of women who were trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation.
"Hope Betrayed: an analysis of women victims of trafficking
and their claims for asylum" considered the asylum claims
made by women who were supported by the POPPY Project from its
inception in March 2003 until August 2005. Of the 32 women who
claimed asylum during this period, only one was granted asylum
prior to appeal. Of those whose appeal had been determined at
the time of the analysis, 80% were granted either refugee status
or humanitarian protection. This is six times higher than the
acceptance rate of asylum appeals overall.
3.4 However, despite the high success rate
at appeal, very few cases where trafficked victims have been accepted
as falling under a Convention reason (for example "membership
of a particular social group") or meeting the Convention
threshold in terms of "persecution" or "insufficiency
of protection", has been reported. As a result, there is
very little established case law to support fresh asylum claims.
The POPPY Project believes that the Border and Immigration Agency
should review its policy guidance and country guidance for dealing
with victims' asylum claims.
3.5 In addition, some victims of trafficking
may have been intercepted by law enforcement en-route and/or may
been coerced into making false asylum claims in other countries
in Europe. Often this is a strategy employed by traffickers to
avoid detention and ensure the continued exploitation of women.
The unique nature of trafficking means that it is often only on
arrival in another country that the danger becomes apparent. Trafficked
women will therefore almost always need protection within their
country of destination, to ensure that they are safe from the
traffickers. As a result, the POPPY Project believes that it is
not appropriate for the Dublin Convention to be reinforced when
it comes to victims of trafficking.
3.6 Overall, victims of trafficking will
need time to come to terms with the reality of their situation
and the levels of trauma they have experienced. In countries with
more established protection mechanisms in place for trafficked
women, this is called a reflection period. The POPPY Project currently
operates a reflection delay of 30 days which is the minimum period
allowed under the Council of Europe Convention.
3.7 While it remains to be seen what, if
any, changes the Government will introduce prior to ratifying
the Convention, it is certain that given a reflection delay, victims
will be in a better position to make decisions regarding their
future. Historically, the Government was apprehensive about the
introduction of a longer reflection period and/or renewable residence
permit in case it acted as a "pull factor" and lead
to women falsely claiming they had been a victim of trafficking.
Even if more extensive victim protection provisions were introduced,
the UK would still be able to remove anyone who the "competent
authority" under the Convention had agreed was not a victim
of trafficking but only after they have been offered sufficient
time to consider the possibilities open to them.
3.8 Current policies that lead to the removal/deportation
of trafficking victims without their having been identified are
a failure. Such policies fail to adequately protect those who
are in most need of protection. These same policies fail to help
bring traffickers to account for their actions. And such policies
also fail to break the chain of trafficking, whereby the early
deportee is at greatest risk of re-trafficking, feeding the trafficking
network with another displaced, marginalised, and vulnerable woman.
3.9 Many victims of trafficking know, as
do many law enforcement officers working in the field, that deportation
invariably leads to re-trafficking. Recent statistics from the
POPPY Project estimate that as many as 21% of all women supported
by the Project since March 2003 have been re-trafficked at least
once.[138]
3.10 The same research has shown that women
are trafficked in the first instance owing to a range of factors
that make her vulnerable to being trafficked. Sending a trafficked
victim back to the same situation does nothing to address those
vulnerability factors. Some would even argue that it is criminally
irresponsible in itself to remove/deport someone in such circumstances
knowing that the act makes them still more vulnerable to trafficking
and potentially in breach of the UK's obligations under the Council
of Europe Convention.
4. Co-operation within the EU (including Europol);
and control of the EU's external frontiers
4.1 In order to detect cases of trafficking,
gather evidence against the criminals concerned and respond to
trafficking victims appropriately it is essential for co-operation
within the EU to be increased. One means of achieving this is
through the signing of bi-lateral or multi-lateral agreements
involving law enforcement agencies in the UK and their counter-parts
in one or more other Member States. Once such agreements are in
place, law enforcement officials will be able to obtain assistance
from other Member States in obtaining evidence to assist in the
bringing of trafficking-related prosecutions.
4.2 Several such agreements are already
in place between the UK and the US, Canada, Ireland, Nigeria,
Poland, Holland and France. The UK has also recently launched
an initiative to share intelligence relating to trafficking in
human beings and organised immigration crime through the G8 Roma
Lyon sub-group. This cooperation is further enhanced through the
Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) network of 110 Liaison
Officers in 40 countries worldwide. Relations with foreign law
enforcement agencies are also evolving.
4.3 However, in any such agreement it is
essential that the rights of the victim is always respected and
that any requests for co-operation is risk assessed by the appropriate
agency prior to any action being taken. This is particularly the
case when a victim reports corruption and/or community complicity
in her trafficking experiences and to ensure that any children
and/or other family members continue to be safe from reprisals.
5. Relations with transit and source countries,
and the role of Interpol and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime
5.1 Trafficking can be prevented in source
and transit countries by addressing the causes of emigration,
warning potential migrants of the potential dangers and offering
technical assistance to governments to help prevent organised
crime. The UK Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking[139]
published in 2007 acknowledged this and a trafficking prevention
campaign in source countries was introduced.
5.2 Whilst the POPPY Project welcomes the
introduction of such campaigns, more should be done to raise awareness
among potential victims of trafficking. In addition to supporting
projects in source countries aimed at raising awareness among
vulnerable groups, POPPY calls for the government to introduce
in-depth prevention campaigns targeted at industries dominated
by women, such as the restaurant industry; domestic work/child-minding;
offered education or "opportunities".[140]
The government should also takes steps to ensure there is better
monitoring of both public and private employment agencies working
in these particular industries.
5.3 This is particularly relevant given
that the majority of women supported by the Project were actively
seeking employment overseas when they were trafficked.[141]
Of these, eight believed they would be working in the restaurant
industry (21%); seven believed they would be doing domestic work/child-minding
(18%); six believed they were being offered education or "opportunities"
(16%); and one woman believed she was coming to work in accountancy
(3%).
5.4 Prevention efforts appear to be expanding,
with the proposal outlining plans to offer technical assistance
to governments in source countries and transit countries to enable
them to tackle organised crime more effectively. This again is
a welcome development as is the proposal to publicise successful
prosecutions of traffickers. POPPY has reservations about the
effectiveness of such efforts, however, when no action is planned
addressing the causes of emigration.
5.5 POPPY recognises that for many potential
victims, no amount of negative publicity, education or awareness-raising,
will deter them from seeking a life abroad when the prospects
in their own country remain so dire. A key way for the government
to prevent trafficking is to actively address the causes of emigration
by developing poverty alleviation programmes in countries of origin.
6. Effectiveness of the co-ordination between
public authorities in the UK (Home Office, FCO, police forces,
Serious Organised Crime Agency, Border and Immigration Agency,
social services)
6.1 The government White Paper on immigration
Secure Borders, Safe Haven: Integration with Diversity in Modern
Britain (February 2002), contained recommendations for victim
support. The strategy focused on how victims of trafficking could
be afforded better protection. It also highlighted the need for
multi-agency partnership to tackle trafficking. Five years on,
the UK Action Plan also highlighted the need for the Government
to "work together in a collaborative way with partners across
central, regional and local government, law enforcement and the
voluntary sector." The explicit recognition of the need for
a multi-agency approach to tackling human trafficking is welcome.
6.2 Trafficking in human beings is a multi-dimensional
problem. In the three key areas of anti-trafficking operations
(prevention, protection and prosecution), a multi-agency team
of professionals from several different fields—police, social
services, specialised service providers and NGOs—is likely
to prove more effective than a team from only one background.
Developing systems which ensure an integrated approach by professionals
from different backgrounds is therefore essential.
6.3 To enable professionals from different
agencies to work together, all the stakeholders involved need
to adopt standard terminology and a commonly agreed methodology
to assess cases to collect and record data on cases of trafficking.
This would require the implementation of policies and strategies
that identify and connect all the actors in different agencies
who can play a useful role in the response to trafficking in human
beings. For example, by setting up a national coordination structure
to ensure that governmental and non-governmental agencies work
together effectively against traffickers and to support people
who have been trafficked.
Comments by women on the project
"A was taken by her traffickers to be re-sold.
She jumped out of the moving car and hurled herself onto the ground.
A police officer nearby noticed that she was injured—when
traffickers realised this they drove off. A was taken to hospital
and later referred to the POPPY Project via her solicitor."
"G jumped out of the window on the 2nd floor
brothel where she was held against her will. She broke her foot
in the fall and got lots of cuts and bruises. A passer-by saw
her and called for an ambulance. She was referred to the POPPY
Project via the hospital social worker."
"D did not speak very much English. She
was allowed to go to the sexual health clinic on her own as she
had syphilis and needed repeat treatment. With her she brought
a note written by another trafficked woman. On the note it said
that she had been trafficked and needed help, and that her friend
(who had written the note) was still in the brothel and also needed
help. The staff at the clinic phoned the police and D was taken
to the POPPY Project. When police later returned to the address
where the other woman was kept, and where D had previously been
staying, the flat was empty and the woman was gone."
"J told one of her regular clients what
had happened to her. He agreed to try and help her. Without her
knowledge, he approached her traffickers to try and buy her. The
traffickers agreed, and the client collected J and said that she
should come with him now. He had rented a flat, and locked J in
the flat. He visited J after work a couple of times per week bringing
food and toiletries. He did not stay long, as he had a wife and
family to go home to. He still wanted J to have sex with him,
but told her that now she did not need to worry about all the
other clients or the traffickers. J ran away one day when the
client forgot to lock the front door, and told police her story."
Katerina was a student in Romania. She built
up a friendship with a friend of a friend named Alex, who invited
her to the UK and told her that she could stay at his house; he
would even help her with the air fare.
When she arrived in the UK, Katerina was held
prisoner in a flat where she was repeatedly beaten and raped.
Alex told her that she could have her freedom, but she would have
to work as a prostitute to pay back the money that he had paid
to bring her here. Katerina eventually gave in and began work,
paying all of the money she made to Alex.
When she missed one payment she was dragged from
the street into the boot of a waiting car. Once again Alex held
Katerina prisoner, and once again she was repeatedly raped and
beaten. Katerina was forced to return to work in the sex industry
for over a year until Alex decided that he would sell her on to
some other men. While trying to carry out the transaction Alex
was arrested.
Katerina was introduced to the Poppy Project
and after providing secure accommodation we referred her to a
counselling service. She was given lots of support around coping
with her fear of leaving the house and also assisted with access
to legal advice and interpreting among many other services. She
was supported and guided to enrol in classes and also explored
voluntary work.
This was not the end of the ordeal for Katerina.
Alex made threats to have her family killed if she cooperated
with the police investigation, in addition there were, at that
time, no laws to prosecute traffickers and Alex walked free.
Although Katerina is happy in Britain she fears
for the safety of her family back home as Alex has many connections.
She misses her family and would like to go home but believes that
she will never be able to return. Her parents have received many
anonymous phone calls and she is concerned for the safety of her
siblings.
Loanna was born in Africa. Her mother disappeared
when she was very young and so she lived with an elderly woman,
who treated her as her own child. Loanna did not attend school,
but spent her early childhood looking after the woman. When Loanna
was 13 the woman died. Loanna spent the next few years staying
with various friends and sleeping rough.
Some of these "friends" beat Loanna
and forced her to work for them. She was raped by a number of
men. She could not go to the Police because she knew they would
not help as they only helped rich people.
One day an English man called Stuart stopped
to talk to her. He said he could help her and asked if she would
like to do domestic work for him in England. Loanna travelled
to England with Stuart. He had all the paperwork for this trip
and did all the talking with Immigration officials when they arrived
in England.
When she arrived at Stuart's house, Loanna was
told that she would be working as a masseuse. She was shocked
at this and refused. She was beaten and threatened that she would
be arrested if she did not do as she was told. Loanna was locked
in the house and was forced to have sex with up to seven men every
day.
After six months the house was raided by the
police. Loanna was held and sent to a Detention Centre. Stuart
visited Loanna in there, threatening her not to tell the truth,
or she would be sent back to Africa and killed there by his friends.
Loanna was told by friends she made that if she returned to Africa,
it was very likely these threats would be carried out, as it was
known to have happened to other women who had reported their traffickers
and been sent back. The visits were stopped after Loanna revealed
the truth, but she still received threatening phone calls, often
from people she had never met.
Loanna was eventually released from the Detention
Centre and was assisted by the Poppy project. She received counselling
for her anxiety and depression and was provided with secure accommodation
and support services. She is still scared to go out alone and
worries that she will be found and punished by her traffickers.
When I was 17 I was trafficked to Italy for prostitution.
My parents were separated from an early age.
I spent most of my teenage years trying to escape from my father's
house, going to my mother's house and then my father bringing
me back to his house by force. My father has always been very
abusive. He was second in command to the Juju priest and he would
force me to practice juju. I was really scared of juju. On one
occasion I was whipped in the juju house and then my father and
other people made cuts all over my body. My paternal uncle was
also sexually abusive towards me.
One of the times I escaped to my mother's house
my father came again and suggested he could send me to my aunt
in Italy to work in a hair salon and do babysitting. I was pleased
with this opportunity and didn't question my father at the time.
I was shown pictures of good-looking Nigerian girls working in
hair salons in Italy and looking really happy. My father gave
me to someone who I called "uncle". He would take me
to my aunt in Italy. First he took me to a shrine where I had
to swear that I would give the money back spent for my journey
to Italy. I said I would do it. He then took me to have my pictures
taken and after a few days I travelled with him to Italy. He was
holding two passports. One of them had my picture but a different
name.
I was taken to a "Madame" in Italy
and forced to prostitution. She would beat me and physically force
me out in the streets to work. I was repeatedly raped. Other times
when I resisted she poured hot water on me and burnt me with a
hot iron. I still have the scars. I was there for almost three
years.
I tried to escape but the "Madame"
tracked me down. She then told me to call my mother in Nigeria.
I did and I found out that people connected to the "Madame's"
network had beaten my mother up.
I had a friend who had paid off her debt and
had moved to another city to do prostitution. I went to find her
and asked for help. I was in a terrible state. She introduced
me to this agent who could take me to the UK. The agent travelled
with me by boat and coach. My friend must have paid him because
she knew how desperate I was. The agent gave me a false passport
with a different name and picture. Officials checked this passport
on various occasions during the trip. When we reached Victoria
Station he left me there and told me to find my way to the Home
Office. I was completely hopeless. I was in yet another strange
country with no money knowing nobody. I asked for help but nobody
paid attention. I slept rough for one night. I saw no other way
and I decided to go back to Italy as I had a return ticket. I
was caught by immigration officials trying to leave the country.
I was charged for attempting to use a false document
and I was imprisoned for three months in HMP Holloway. I am constantly
in fear of deportation as my asylum claim is pending. I suffer
from severe depression and I tried to commit suicide on various
occasions after my escape.
Ola was referred to The POPPY Project by a Civil
Claims solicitor after Yarlswood Detainee Befrienders Group had
contacted them on Ola's behalf following an alleged assault on
her by staff at Yarlswood. Whilst taking instruction regarding
the alleged assault the solicitor became concerned that Ola may
have been a victim of trafficking. The POPPY Project then arranged
to travel to Yarlswood to assess Ola.
Ola reported that she was experiencing symptoms
associated with sexually transmitted infections and sexual assault,
including pelvic pain, pain on urination, painful, heavy bleeding
during menstruation, vaginal discharge, pain around the vaginal
area, & pain and bleeding from her anus. Ola said that she
had been subjected to repeated sexual assaults since early childhood
and that she was a child prostitute in Uganda before coming to
the UK. On arrival in the UK she was held against her will for
approximately three weeks and subjected to repeated rapes including
anal rape. She was frequently asked by customers to not use condoms
whilst working as a prostitute. Ola had not been offered a sexual
health screening since her arrival at Yarlswood five months earlier.
The POPPY Project advocated on behalf of Ola to Yarlswood Healthcare
Team that she be given access to appropriate sexual health services
as a matter of priority. Ola also reported frequent headaches,
loss of appetite, significant weight loss and back pain.
Ola also reported a number of symptoms commonly
associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, including recurrent
thoughts of past events, poor sleep, recurrent nightmares, poor
concentration, hyper arousal and mood swings. She also experiences
feelings of worthlessness and shame and suicidal ideation. She
reported that sometimes she "felt someone was talking to
her but she could not see them" and other times she believed
her mother, who is deceased, was "telling Ola to come with
her, that she could take her away from there".
Ola's real date of birth is unknown. Ola said
she doesn't know her real name, Ola was the name used on her visa
application. She was told that her parents died when she was around
three months old. She was brought up by a friend of her mothers
who used to mistreat her. When she was approximately ten years
old she met a man in the local market who kidnapped her. Ola was
held captive and sexually abused by this man.
She managed to escape and met another Ugandan
woman and her friends, who were working as prostitutes in Kampala.
They allowed her to stay with them and encouraged her to work
as a prostitute as well to earn money for food. It was during
this time that Ola was trafficked to the UK by the "madam"
of the house where she lived.
Ola initially found it very difficult to trust
the professionals involved in her care after being released from
detention.
All of the professionals involved in Ola's care
expressed concern that she may have been younger than she believed,
based on her physical appearance, information she gave regarding
her sexual development and her child like behaviour. We estimated
that she may be between 15 to 18 years old. Ola's legal representative
arranged for her age to be assessed by a paediatrician. The paediatrician
has confirmed that Ola has a chronological age of 16 and it is
possible that she is either 15 or 17 years old but highly unlikely
that she is either younger than 15 or older than 18. This information
has been forwarded to the Home Office & Ola is waiting for
a decision on her fresh asylum claim.
7 February 2008
129 Based on referrals to the POPPY Project between
March 2003 and December 2007. Back
130
Home Office, UK Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking, March
2007 Back
131
Liz Kelly and Linda Regan, Stopping Traffic: Exploring the extent
of, and responses to, trafficking in women for sexual exploitation
in the UK, Police Research Series Paper 125 (London: Home Office,
2000). Downloaded on 30 January 2008 from www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/prgpdfs/fprs125.pdf Back
132
supra n.2 above, p14. Back
133
Dickson, Sandra: "Sex in the City-Mapping commercial sex
across London", 2004, available from www.eaves4women.co.uk Back
134
Cathy Zimmerman et al, Stolen Smiles: a summary report on the
physical and psychological health consequences of women and adolescents
trafficked in Europe, The London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine, 2006. Back
135
Sachrajda, A, "POPPY Project Outreach Service: A review of
work to date, January-September 2007", forthcoming. Back
136
Initially, the scheme criteria for admission specifically excluded
women who intended to claim asylum. But campaigning by both POPPY
and allied organisations resulted in a swift review and change
to the criteria. Back
137
Such as exists in Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands. Back
138
Stephen-Smith, S and Sachrajda, A "Who Are Trafficked and
Why?: Quantifying the Gendered Experience of Trafficking in the
UK", the POPPY Project forthcoming. Back
139
Home Office, Secure Borders, Safe Haven: Integration with Diversity
in Modern Britain (2002) Home Office: London Back
140
This phrase is used by many women and appears to refer to an expectation
women have that travelling will allow them to have access to a
wider range of experiences, educational and employment opportunities. Back
141
Dickson, Sandra: "When women are trafficked", 2004,
available from www.eaves4women.co.uk Back
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