In May I’m hoping to run a half marathon for the Tribe Foundation, a charitable foundation which makes grants for projects fighting modern slavery. (I had intended to run in November, but had to postpone it due to injury.)

Modern Slavery is the exploitation of individuals by force, coercion, fraud, or the abuse of power. Victims of modern slavery are commonly sexually exploited, forced labour, or domestic servitude, but can also be used for forced marriages, illegal adoptions, benefit fraud, removal of organs, or other criminal activities.

In 2018, 7121 potential victims were referred to the UK National Referral Mechanism for modern slavery, an increase of 46% on 2017; but it is likely that the number of modern slaves in the UK is much higher. A 2013 Home Office report suggested it might be as high as 13,000.

There is no ‘typical’ victim of slavery: men and boys can be trafficked and exploited as much as women and girls; victims come from inside the UK as well as abroad; and can come from wealthy backgrounds. Many victims do not ‘self-identify’ as being a victim of slavery, often out of fear for reprisals, trauma, or simply an unwillingness to identify as a victim; some may believe they have ‘consented’ to labour, often to pay off alleged ‘debts’. Consequently victims of slavery are less likely to seek help.

Although there is no stereotypical victim, victims of modern slavery are likely to come from socially marginalised groups. They are likely to have experienced poverty, low educational attainment, insecure accommodation, and/or limited opportunities for employment. This exacerbates the difficulties facing victims attempting to escape slavery. They are likely to have experienced trauma; lack social support networks, safe accommodation, and legal support; have limited English language skills; and few sources of income or employment opportunities.

Government support for suspected victims of modern slavery lasts only 45 days or until a Conclusive Grounds decision is made over whether that the victim has been trafficked. If their claim to be a victim is denied, the individual is given support for only two more days. If accepted, the individual is given only two weeks of government support. This is rarely, if ever, sufficient for full recovery and rehabilitation. Without sufficient support, victims of slavery are at risk of re-trafficking, further exploitation, and homelessness.

www.humantraffickingfoundation.org/
https://www.antislavery.org
www.unseenuk.org

The Tribe Foundation targets modern slavery by making grants to projects which:
Help end modern slavery and human trafficking
Help rehabilitate victims of modern slavery
Raise awareness of modern slavery and its underlying causes

In 2018 in raised £80,000 for Unseen, to help fund the UK Modern Slavery Helpline and safe houses for victims of trafficking. It granted to raise £45,000 to two charities, Ella’s Home and the Snowdrop Project, which provide longterm support for victims.

http://tribefreedomfoundation.com

The Snowdrop Project is the first UK charity to provide longterm support for survivors of trafficking. Longterm, consistent, professional support is crucial to recovery, but governmental support for victims is only short-term. The Snowdrop project found that when government support 80% of survivors still face legal issues, 72% live in unstable accommodation, 45% have little to no English, and all have no viable employment prospects. It aims to address this gap by providing longterm support and enable victims to regain independence and agency.

The Snowdrop Project provides one-to-one casework, counselling, trauma therapy, befriending, community activities, education, ready-for-work programmes, and house support for survivors. This helps them overcome trauma, improve their mental health, regain self-esteem, make friends, and increase opportunities for future employment. Each survivor is treated as an individual: there is no set plan for recovery, but each individual is involved in decision making and given the support they need to recover, whether that takes months or years. In addition to victim support, the Snowdrop Project works to raise awareness about modern slavery and provides training and consultancy for other organisations to help further the fight against modern slavery.

www.snowdropproject.co.uk

Ella’s Home helps women who have been victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation through safe accommodation, outreach work, and longterm support.

Ella’s Home offers support for some of the most vulnerable victims of modern slavery. Many victims of sexual exploitation have suffered severe trauma and are unwilling or unable to testify to their abuse, but receipt of government support depends on victim testimony. Ella’s Home accepts individuals who slip through the net of government support due to their inability to tell officials about their experience.

Each woman is given accommodation in a safe house, offering a sense of community, belonging, and friendship. They each have their own support worker and are helped to access medical care, legal assistance, education and training; after leaving the safe house they continue to receive support so that they can live a full and independent life. Ella’s Home has developed a partnership with the Luminary Bakery, a bakery which offers disadvantaged women with training and employment opportunities to help them build their own future.

www.ellas-home.co.uk
www.luminarybakery.com

Why I’m Running
I love running: I love the freedom, the challenge, and the sense of strength and achievement after a good run. I love being in a community with other runners, in races, on club runs, or just sharing a smile with another runner when I’m out by myself.

People who are victims of slavery do not have that freedom, independence, or opportunity to be part of a welcoming community. I hope that, through the work of charities such as the Snowdrop Project and Ella’s Home, more people will be able to have the freedom, independence, and opportunities for a meaningful life that everyone deserve.