Woman rescued from human traffickers
Two vulnerable women have been saved from human traffickers in the North, it was revealed today.
At least one of the victims is from China. Detectives swooped in greater Belfast within the last 24 hours as part of an operation which saw two women arrested.
One is suspected of human trafficking and controlling prostitution, the other of controlling prostitution. Police also seized £25,000 in cash and documents.
South Belfast Assembly member Anna Lo said trafficked women could fail to cooperate with police because of lack of support.
“The fact is that we need to give women shelter. We are not offering these vulnerable women the back up they need,” she said.
“It isn’t easy for them to stand up in court and provide witness statements to go against these criminals from organised crime of an international standard.
“Unless we provide them with the necessary support we are going to let these criminals walk away.
“We need to have more infrastructure to help the police.”
The Alliance Party Assembly member said the North had always had a problem with people smuggling but the extent of it was unknown.
“The nature of this crime is that it is secret so all we have is really anecdotal evidence,” she added.
Amnesty International director Patrick Corrigan said there was growing evidence that trafficking was more widespread than police had previously thought.
“We remain concerned that there remain many undiscovered victims of trafficking throughout Northern Ireland and that many victims of trafficking in Northern Ireland are not being properly identified,” he said.
“At an official level, the fight against trafficking has been very much police-led in Northern Ireland, but we know that many victims of trafficking will never disclose their true situation to a police officer because they fear shame, deportation or reprisals from their traffickers.
“It is crucial that trafficking victims are not prosecuted for crimes, such as using false travel documents, or sent for deportation back to their country of origin, where they risk being recycled back into the hands of traffickers.”
He said victims should be offered temporary residence permits and appropriate support so they have time to recover from their ordeal.
“It would be helpful if the PSNI and the Home Office provided clarification on what will now happen to these latest rescued victims of sex trafficking,” he added.
Nationalist SDLP Assembly member Carmel Hanna said there needed to be proper support.
“Human trafficking is a lucrative black market trade and it is appalling to think of the manner in which these women may be treated and held like slaves.
“It is important that the protection of the law is afforded to these very vulnerable women, and those who use these women for sex are made accountable for their actions.”
Sinn Féin Assembly member Alex Maskey said many who were trafficked here were adolescents and vulnerable adults.
“They are sexually exploited, remain in forced labour and prostitution, are held in debt bondage and are victims of domestic and sexual violence,” he said.
Women and young girls live in constant fear, with little knowledge of the country they are sent to, he added.
