reporter Summer 2018 Established in 1825 Children: futures of freedom We provide children with a strong voice, skills and confidence to protect themselves from slavery now and in the future. Also in this issue: Ending forced child begging across West Africa Campaign to protect UK survivors of slavery gathers momentum reporter reporter summer 2018 summer 2018 2 comment 3 Tackling root causes for long term change I am delighted to introduce this issue of the Reporter for the first time as the new Chief Executive of Anti-Slavery International. Jasmine O’Connor Anti-Slavery’s work addresses not only immediate Chief Executive situations of exploitation, but tackles the roots causes. This is one of the reasons I am so excited about taking up this role. Nowhere is this approach more acute than in our work with children. We want children to have a strong voice, skills and confidence to be better equipped to protect themselves from exploitation now and in the future. You can read about how we work to achieve this in our features on pages 8 to 14. Young girls are commonly exploited in clothing Eradicating slavery is far from factories in India. simple. Sometimes the challenging Photo: Dev Gogoi circumstances in which we operate can We want children to have make even the most hard-fought wins a strong voice, skills and The Reporter magazine was Our vision is a world free from slavery seem small because of how much there established in 1825 and has is left to do. But every piece of progress confidence to be better been continuously published Anti-Slavery International works to eliminate we make, for example in protecting equipped to protect since 1840. all forms of slavery and slavery-like practices survivors of slavery in the UK (page 4), themselves from exploitation Series VIII, Vol 24, Issue 1. throughout the world, including forced labour, debt migrant workers in Qatar (page 6) or now and in the future. Anti-Slavery International Thomas Clarkson House bondage, human trafficking, descent-based slavery, survivors in Mauritania (page 7), should The Stableyard the worst forms of child labour and forced marriage. Broomgrove Road be celebrated because of how hard it London SW9 9TL United Kingdom We work with local organisations to secure the came about and because each success brings us closer to ending slavery for good. tel: +44 (0)20 7501 8920 freedom of those in slavery or vulnerable to it, fax: +44 (0)20 7738 4110 campaign for changes in attitudes towards slavery and email: [email protected] Together with our wonderful supporters, whose incredible efforts we showcase website: www.antislavery.org pressing for more effective implementation of national on pages 22-26, we are confident we have what it takes to end slavery abuses and international laws and policies against slavery. Editor: Jakub Sobik in every corner of the world. And if you’re in need of inspiration, look no further tel: +44 (0)20 7501 8934 email: [email protected] Anti-Slavery International is the world’s oldest than page 20 for six simple actions you can take in less than an hour. Layout: Berie Stott, www.dot-ink.com abolition movement, founded in 1839 by British I have been inspired by the imagination and determination of our supporters UK Registered Charity 1049160 abolitionists such as Thomas Clarkson and Company limited by guarantee 3079904 since I joined Anti-Slavery in March this year, and I am already looking forward Registered in England and Wales Joseph Sturge. to meeting many of you at our Annual Supporters’ Meeting on the afternoon of Cover photo: Boys from families Thursday 15th November 2018. I hope you can keep the date free! affected by bonded labour in Nepal. Thank you for your commitment. Together we can end slavery for good. reporter reporter summer 2018 summer 2018 4 news 5 trauma of slavery and piece a life Anti-Slavery has joined the Free Helping UK slavery back together. For Good campaign calling for the This is why Anti-Slavery supports the passing of the Bill. After successfully Anna Sereni, Modern Slavery (Victim Support) Bill navigating its way through the House survivors be free The Anti-Trafficking which would ensure that all victims of Lords it has been submitted to the Monitoring Group Co-ordinator receive appropriate support from House of Commons, putting pressure for good the state. on the Government to get serious about slavery. The Bill provides a guarantee for Co-ordinator of the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group support for 12 months after a person We are calling on all of our supporters Anna Sereni on the growing momentum of our campaign is identified as a victim of slavery, in the UK to join us in putting to support the victims of slavery in the UK. giving them time to start rebuilding pressure on local MPs to support the their lives. Bill. This can be done very quickly and The failure of the UK Government networks is inefficient, causing delays It specifies the minimum standards easily by visiting www.freeforgood.org. to implement a convincing anti-slavery and distress to vulnerable people. of care for victims, from appropriate uk, entering your postcode to identify strategy has been laid bare in They criticised the government for not accommodation and financial a relevant MP and sending a pre- knowing what quality of care is being recent months. assistance, to access to social, medical, drafted message. provided to potential victims, and A series of highly critical reports from psychological and legal care. This what happens to the victims after they Please use your voice to provide full respected public institutions, including would ensure that no victim receives a leave care, making them vulnerable and lasting the National Audit Office and the Work lower quality of support than others. targets for traffickers again. protections for and Pensions Select Committee, have It also grants the victims ‘leave some of the UK’s Several high-profile court cases also increased pressure on the Government to remain’ in the UK for the period most vulnerable highlighted the Government’s tough to live up to its promise of making of recovery should they wish. men, women and anti-immigration policies and their modern slavery its priority. This allows them the time to create children to help disastrous effect on slavery victims, some normality in their new lives them become Reflecting Anti- often deeming them Please use your voice to in freedom. free for good. Slavery’s stance on as offenders rather the issue, the reports provide full and lasting than vulnerable focused to a large protections for some of the victims of traumatic extent on urging UK’s most vulnerable men, crime in need of long- the government to women and children to term support. dramatically improve help them be free for good. The Government the system supporting responded by victims, as well as committing to reform the current invest in victim support system, the National intelligence gathering and police Referral Mechanism, and by extending investigations that would make it the period for which potential victims easier to prosecute traffickers. are guaranteed support, from 45 to 90 The reports pointed out that the days. However, this does not provide Slavery survivors in the UK still current system of signposting enough protection for survivors – it have no guarantee of proper potential victims to relevant support takes much longer to overcome the support from the state. reporter reporter summer 2018 Slavery affects mining summer 2018 6 news industry in DRC. news 7 Photo: MONUSCO/ Sylvain Liechti Slavery in your smartphone A Sky News investigation found There is still a long way to go children as young as four-years-old to end slavery in Mauritania. Photo: Michael Hylton. working in Congolese cobalt “The electronics companies must mines, a mineral essential for do more to clean up their supply smartphone batteries. chains. Not only that, they should prescribed by the law. use their power to put pressure on Harsh sentences With heart-breaking stories of young “The sentences are in line with governments to address the systemic the law for the first time” said children carrying out back-breaking for slave owners problems that underpin slavery such as Karine Penrose, Anti-Slavery’s Africa work and falling sick from the mine Two slave-owners in Mauritania extreme poverty and the lack of rule of Programme Co-ordinator. “It offers a chemicals, the investigation exposed law”, said Anti-Slavery’s spokesman were sentenced to 10 and 20 years glimmer of hope that the courts will the problems in the global supply Jakub Sobik. in prison respectively, the country’s start taking slavery seriously”. chains of products widely used On page 18 read why we need an EU wide law to address harshest slavery sentences yet. by millions of people. slavery in global supply chains. Slavery in Mauritania exists in its This was only the third conviction most traditional form, with black for slavery in Mauritania. One of descendants of the Haratine ethnic Qatar promises reforms the cases was a result of a seven- group often born into slavery and year fight as part of Anti-Slavery spending their lives working as The International Labour a minimum wage and the right for International’s legal work representing domestic servants or cattle herders for Organization (ILO) opened its first workers to organise and leave the three sisters who escaped their White Moors (traditional slave owning office in Qatar for the first time to country if they wish. masters in 2010. group) without ever receiving payment work with the Qatari government Although positive, the reforms won’t for their work and with little hope of to improve working conditions The ruling gives new hope for slavery change the ‘kafala’ sponsorship victims in Mauritania.