Stopping human trafficking in the UK and Europe
Nearly two million people are trapped in slavery in Europe - including the UK.
Almost 17,000 people were identified as potential modern slavery victims in the UK in 2022 alone. Trafficked for labour or sexual exploitation, they face abuse and violence.
Human trafficking in the UK is seen as a low-risk, high-reward crime for traffickers. Of the few people charged with a modern slavery offence, only 23% of those are actually convicted.
But even those who are convicted are likely to walk away with a low sentence. The percentage of offenders receiving a sentence of four years or more has dropped from 75% in 2018, to 31% in 2021.
Impact of IJM's European Anti-Trafficking Programme in the UK so far:
IJM is supporting 17 cases involving Romanian survivors who were exploited in the UK.
IJM is supporting 36 Romanian survivors - predominantly young women, trafficked for sexual exploitation.
IJM has supported a total number of 62 Romanian survivors who were exploited in the UK.
How does IJM work to stop modern slavery and human trafficking in Europe?
We’ve been helping protect people from cross-border trafficking in Europe since 2019.
We have staff working in the UK, Romania, the Netherlands and Germany. Working with authorities and other partners, and supported by people like you, we bring people to safety and support them with trauma-informed care, bring traffickers to justice, and help strengthen justice systems so people are not abused in the first place.
With war in Ukraine putting millions more women and children at risk of false offers of work or housing, we’re working to expand our anti-trafficking work into other countries in Europe.
“With the amazing help and support from International Justice Mission, we have managed to offer practical help and support to survivors, from counselling to social care, housing and even skills courses.”
- Detective Constable Lore Hancock, London Metropolitan Police's Specialist Crime Command
FAQs
Modern Slavery Helpline
If you suspect you or someone you know is being exploited, call the UK Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700.
*pseudonym
[1] GRETA, Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, 2019.