Infraestructura de Transporte

There are important regional differences in the responses to trafficked adults in the UK. The governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate contracts for the provision of support and assistance for trafficked adults. While it was the UK government which signed the CAT the support in Northern Ireland and Scotland is neither funded nor overseen by the UK government. The IDMG is responsible for overseeing the UK wide approach to human trafficking but it does not have control over the creation of policy and the provision of support services.

There are a number of devolved powers which Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland have that are relevant in fulfilling the rights of trafficked adults expected by the CAT. These include health and education in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales and housing in Scotland and Wales. These devolved powers could provide the different countries the opportunities to adopt innovative and unique responses in providing support and assistance to trafficked adults. However the different regions of the UK have to adhere to central policies decided by the UK government and work within a UK wide system for identifying and responding to trafficked persons. This is due to

92 trafficking in persons being primarily considered as a matter of immigration, an area of legislation which the UK parliament retains full control over.

The support and assistance for trafficked adults in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is provided by a significantly smaller number of organisations than in

England. This is because out of the 1295 adults identified as potentially trafficked in the UK in 2013 1155 adults were in England (National Crime Agency. 2014. p7). In Scotland and Northern Ireland the same four organisations have received continuous government-funding since the regional administrations began funding responses to trafficked adults. This situation should provide the opportunity for the development of expertise and the creation of best practice in providing support and assistance. This has not been the case in Northern Ireland. This region has the smallest number of recorded potential cases of human trafficking in the UK. In 2013 there were twenty-one adults identified in Northern Ireland who were referred as potentially trafficked (National Crime Agency. 2014. p12). In the absence of large numbers of identified trafficking cases the Northern Ireland Executive has not provided sufficient resources to establish specialist support in the region.

In Northern Ireland it is the Department of Justice within the Northern Ireland Executive which has been responsible for overseeing the provision of support and assistance for trafficked adults. The Department of Justice is responsible for

awarding and overseeing the government tender contract for the provision of support for trafficked adults. The Department of Justice has made Migrant Help the contract provider. Migrant Help supports trafficked men and has sub-contracted to Women’s Aid to support trafficked men and women.

Neither of the contracted organisations in Northern Ireland are specialised in supporting trafficked adults. This means that trafficked adults do not access specialist tailored support services and facilities. Trafficked women in Northern Ireland are supported within facilities designed for survivors of domestic violence. This situation is in contrast with the responses in the other three regions of the UK where people who have been identified as potentially trafficked can access facilities and services specifically for trafficked adults. The suffering and trauma a person who has been trafficked experiences is not diminished by the prevalence of the problem.

93 In Scotland the responsibility for supporting trafficked adults is partially overseen by local government. Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Police Authority jointly own the charitable body Community Safety Glasgow which runs the TARA service

(Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance) which supports women trafficked for sexual exploitation in Scotland. The Scottish government has funded TARA since its

establishment in 2006. Initially TARA was only funded to support women trafficked for sexual exploitation within the jurisdiction of Glasgow City Council (Lebov. 2009. p4). However for several years TARA has been funded to support women trafficked for sexual exploitation anywhere in Scotland. The Scottish government has also other government-funded support organisation in Scotland is Migrant Help which was established in 2009 and supports men and women trafficked for all types of exploitation (GRETA. 2012. p62). TARA has developed considerable expertise in responding to trafficked women but they have never been funded to provide specialist supported accommodation for the women they support.

The UK government has provided £7.5m to fund the support for trafficked adults in England and Wales over the last three years. In England and Wales it has been the Ministry of Justice within the UK government which has been responsible for awarding the contract for supporting trafficked persons in England and Wales and for overseeing its operation. There are a total of twelve sub-contractors funded to provide specialist support and assistance for trafficked men and women in England and Wales (Chart 1). The 2011 contract significantly increased the number of regions in England where support was available. In May 2011 shortly after the contract was awarded Damian Green told the House of Commons he hoped the 2011 contract would ‘make the new system less London-centric’ (HC Debate. 9th _{May 2011. c994).} However outside of England the charity BAWSO (Black Association of Women Step Out) remains the only sub-contracted organisation supporting trafficked adults in Wales. This support is available at two locations in the north and south of the country.

94 Sub-Contracted Organisations under the Salvation Army Contract to Support Trafficked Adults in England and Wales (Chart 1)

Support Organisation Experience in Supporting Trafficked Adults Prior to Becoming Sub-Contractor in 2011 Gender Supported Region

Ashiana Yes Men (outreach

only) and women.

South Yorkshire

BAWSO Yes Men (outreach

only) and women.

North and South Wales Bournemouth

Churches Housing Association (BCHA)

No Men and women. South West

City Hearts South Yorkshire

Yes Women only. South Yorkshire

City Hearts North West

No Men only. North West

Hestia No Men (outreach

only) and women.

South East

Jarret Community

Yes Women only. North East

The Medaille Trust

Yes Men and women. South East

Midland Heart No Men only. Midlands

Migrant Help Yes Men and women. South East

Riverside No Men and Women

Sandwell Women’s Aid

No Women only. Midlands

95