Spot The Signs...

As has been said before on this blog, there are very likely to be victims of human trafficking in the town or city that you live or work in.

CCAT (Croydon Community Against Trafficking) has produced a list of potential signs of Human Trafficking that we can all be watching out for in our communities. So, with their permission, I thought it might be helpful to share it here also:

1. People, usually youngsters or children, who rarely come out of a house except with a guardian and speak little or no English

2. Faces that can be seen at windows often looking stressed and never smiling

3. House or flat curtains closed during much of the day

4. Home delivery meals that result in excessive packaging left outside e.g. lots of pizza boxes

5. Frequent visitors to residential premises, often a stream of men arriving and leaving at unusual times.

6. Cars or minibuses picking up foreign nationals at unusual times.

7. Places where 'special services' are offered at a low price often advertised as having particular ethnicity and where the "workers" appear underage or speak no or little English.

8. Teenage girls who seen unhappy, living with older, unrelated males, who drive them about.

9. Commercial premises (including restaurants) that survive despite a clear lack of regular business.

10. Youngsters collected at the school gate by different people each day who are clearly not the parents or grand-parents.

11. Low price deals offered at the door involving cheap labour and invariably for cash, e.g. offers for a new drive or new paving.

This is obviously not an exhaustive list, but things that we can all be watching for in our communities and neighbourhoods.

Together we can create communities that do not tolerate human trafficking and expolitation.

If you see anything that you think might be suspicious you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. They will then assess whether there is a crime being committed.