Campaign
Knowing No Boundaries – Local Solutions to an International Crime: Trafficking of Women and Children in Wales 2010
We are all judged by our actions towards others. Providing a safe haven for those who find themselves in need, through no fault of their own, is the least a civilised society can do. This was the driving force behind the launch of this website and my report Local Solutions to an International Crime: Trafficking of Women and Children in Wales 2010 (download).
The report was based on the work by the Cross Party Working Group on Trafficking in Women and Children which I set up in November, 2007. It called for the establishment of a post which would bring together the knowledge and expertise of relevant authorities such as the police, social services and the UK Border Agency, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales and voluntary organisations. As part of the process of bringing together knowledge and expertise, recommendation 3 of my report also called for a knowledge bank of information through the medium of a dedicated website dealing with Trafficking in Wales.
This website, the report and the campaign aim to raise awareness of the fact that the trafficking of women and children both from abroad into Wales and internally across the country is a crime which surrounds us all; there is no region in Wales which is exempt from the shadowy tentacles of this inhumane activity.
The common perception, particularly in rural Wales, is that human trafficking is something which happens elsewhere, far away from seemingly remote villages in the Welsh countryside. This perception is not only false, but impedes progress which could be made in tackling a crime which is hidden from society. My report highlighted clearly that human trafficking is not exclusively an urban phenomenon, rather it is prevalent in every type of community in Wales, from the urban streets of Cardiff to the rolling hills of Carmarthenshire. Human trafficking in Wales is real, is happening now, today.
Human trafficking happens for two principal reasons; sexual exploitation and forced labour. It is distinct from smuggling as people are trafficked against their will and they are controlled through violence and the threat of violence once they have arrived at their destination. Much has been written about trafficking on an international scale, yet much more needs to be said about trafficking in Wales.
In addition to raising awareness of Human Trafficking in Wales, this website aims to also provide an electronic means by which citizens, politicians, practitioners as well as voluntary sector organisations can share and exchange knowledge, information and expertise on the issue of human trafficking.
It is hoped that both my report and this website will result in positive action being taken on this issue, that address the concerns raised within my report.