Margaret Molyneux, Programme Action Officer, SI South Lancashire and two Soroptimists from the Manchester Club attended the recent Modern Day Slavery (MDS) Summit in Manchester. This was the start of a ‘week of action’ organised by Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
Over 180 delegates from the statutory and voluntary sectors attended. They heard from many speakers including NSPCC personnel who provided MDS case studies. There were also round table discussions; plus DVDs of anonomised trafficked victims and of Police officers investigating alleged MDS activities.
Tony Lloyd, Mayor and Police & Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester, set the scene and spoke of the dilemma of how to protect the trafficked victims when there are huge resource implications.
Offer Stern-Weiner, Head of MDS Unit, Home Office, explained how the new MDS law provides tools to allow the Police to act, clarifies sentencing power for the Courts and enables the seizure of assets from perpetrators to help victims.
Sir Peter Fahey, Chief Constable, GMP, stressed the importance of the public reporting unusual activities that could lead to MDS issues. The current ‘MDS Challenger Project’ in GMP will put vulnerable people and their safety as a priority.
His colleague Ross Jackson, Head of Crime, spoke of the MDS ‘epidemic’ in the UK. In Greater Manchester this year 67 MDS crimes have been reported so far. As Mandy John-Baptiste NSPCC Child Trafficking Advice Centre challenged, ‘Would we recognise the signs for MDS?’.
Paul Broadbent, Chief Executive, Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) spoke on the major issues of MDS. The GLA was set up following the Morecambe Bay cockle pickers’ tragedy. Jobs highlighted as ‘risk’ situations for MDS include agriculture, foodpacking/processing and cleaning. The types of slavery include bonded/forced labour, sexual exploitation, organ harvesting and trafficking.
Margaret Molyneux said. “At the end of this packed day we were left with the question – ‘what can we do?’. As Soroptimists we should educate ourselves and be aware of possible MDS issues; contact Crimestoppers if suspicious; and use Fair Trade products.
“Greater Manchester Police are currently running a ‘would you?’ campaign. It asks us if we would recognise the signs of modern slavery in people working in our community.
“This Summit greatly benefitted Soroptimist International. We networked and raised awareness of SI through our display and literature. We received offers from various agencies to visit Clubs and the Region to explain more about their MDS roles and, reciprocally, to learn more about our organisation.”