Hidden in plain sight
- Document number
- 3045
- Date
- 2013
- Title
- Hidden in plain sight
- Author/publisher
- UK Anti-trafficking monitoring group
- Availability
- View/save PDF version of this document
- Document type(s)
- Guidelines/Recommendations, National Law, Research/Study/Analysis,
- Keywords
- human trafficking, human rights, United Kingdom, migration
- Summary
- A 4th report “Hidden in plain sight” was published by the UK Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group (ATMG), set up to monitor and evaluate the Government’s efforts to combat trafficking in human beings with respect to the UK’s obligations under both the Council of Europe Convention and the EU Directive on trafficking in human beings. The purpose of this report is to examine the progress in this area since the publication of the Wrong Kind of Victim? in June 2010 that assessed the UK’s adherence to its obligations under the Convention. The report notes that there have been a number of improvements in the area of prevention and awareness raising. The establishment of the National Referral Mechanism itself has had a positive impact on raising the awareness about trafficking amongst many professional groups. There have been improvements in data collection in the past three years, as UK Human Trafficking Centres’ assessments have drawn on data from a variety of sources, and not solely depended on the NRM data-base. However, gaps still remain. In particular there is little information about traffickers, few qualitative assessments and still no independent body with statutory powers to request data and information. A welcome development has been the increase in the number of first responders who may refer victims of trafficking to the NRM.