Three Anti-Slavery Networks spanning the Thames Valley hosted an Anti-Slavery conference to raise awareness of modern slavery and develop new plans to tackle it.
The conference on Anti-Slavery Day today opened with a video by the former Prime Minister Theresa May who helped to pass the Modern Slavery Act.
As the co-chair of the Oxfordshire Anti-Slavery Network, the Oxfordshire charity Elmore has supported the conference.
Read again: New mental health support service for adults
Elmore provides mental health, domestic abuse, and complex needs services. Hosted by the Anti-Slavery Networks for Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire - a group of agencies committed to ending modern slavery - the day-long conference held at Oxford Town Hall sought to raise awareness of the fact over 40 million people in the world and an estimated 136,000 in the UK, are trapped in conditions of modern slavery.
Anti-Slavery Day takes place every year on the 18th October, and is a time to encourage governments, businesses, friends, family and colleagues to do what they can to prevent human trafficking and protect victims of modern-day slavery.
The conference involved a presentation by the Trevelyan School. Organisations with speaking roles included Thames Valley Police, Migrant Help, the Office of the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, the Human Trafficking Foundation, and a responsible car wash scheme.
A report into the true extent and nature of modern slavery in Oxford was published in February 2022. The report was commissioned by Oxford City Council and completed by Elmore Community Services and found that modern slavery in Oxford may be 200% higher than the level of cases reported to the police.
Researching the extent and nature of modern slavery in Oxford uses a case-based methodology that suggests that there may have been between 319 and 442 ‘possible’ or ‘very likely’ cases of modern slavery in Oxford City from April 2016 to January 2020. This is considerably higher than the 123 cases recorded by Thames Valley Police.
Read again: Big beer festival is back at Oxford Town Hall
Modern slavery includes the crimes of sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, forced labour, forced criminality and organ harvesting. Victims might be working for organised groups or family members, and in a range of settings.
It can be a hidden crime and the nature of the coercive control used to enslave people means victims are often themselves unaware of the true nature of their exploitation.
Victims can be too scared to report their abuse to police. As a result, it can be the support services victims turn to that have the most contact with them.
In the Thames Valley, the Victims First Specialist Service (VFSS) commissioned by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, provides specialist support for victims and witnesses of exploitation and modern slavery.
Read again: Just Stop Oil protesters arrested
The service employs exploitation specialists to work with victims often in long-term interventions to help them rebuild their lives. If you would like to find out more or make a referral into the service please visit the Victims First website or talk to a member of the team directly on 01844 487987.
Co-chairs of the Oxfordshire Anti-Slavery Network, Oxford City Council’s Anti-Slavery Coordinator Nicola Bell and Elmore Chief Executive Tom Hayes, said: “Slavery is right here, right now, and our Network is committed to ending it and supporting victims.
"Slavery often takes place in plain sight, with vulnerable people working excessively long shifts, obviously undernourished, or in situations that just look wrong. Today we focused on how slavery can be stopped in its tracks and developed new plans to do just that.”
Read more from this author
This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here