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There is serious concern over the treatment of the 19 women rescued
from a Birmingham brothel on Thursday, who police suspected were
trafficked.
According to reports, at least six of the women are being held in a detention centre; treatment that is more suited to criminals than to victims of a crime, and they were not referred to a specialist shelter. Six of the women were due to be removed from the UK on Wednesday, but after pressure, the Home Office agreed to a temporary suspension of their removal.
"The police suspect these women were trafficked, if this is
the case, under no circumstances should they have been held in a
detention centre; they should have been provided with assistance
and advice from a specialised agency. This is the absolute minimum
of what should be provided for people suspected of having been trafficked,"
Mary Cunneen Director of Anti-Slavery International, said.
"These cases show the vulnerability of victims of trafficking
and the lack of protection for them in the UK. This is why the UK
Government must sign up to European Convention which guarantees
protection for victims of trafficking," Amnesty International
UK Director Kate Allen, said.
The UK has no guaranteed protection for trafficked people, and
has not signed the Council of Europe's European Convention on
Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings, as a result, the
treatment of trafficked people once identified, is uncertain exposing
them to inappropriate treatment by the authorities as well as re-trafficking.
The European Convention guarantees a trafficked person
at least 30 days to remain in the country to receive support, including emergency medical assistance, safe housing and legal advice.
Currently the only support that exists in the UK is available only
to women trafficked into prostitution and prostituted in the UK.
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