Victims of Human Trafficking

Victims of human trafficking can be anyone. Traffickers prey upon people’s vulnerabilities.

As a consequence, certain groups are particularly  - but not exclusively - vulnerable to trafficking (and other forms of grooming):

·         People living in poverty or poor conditions, including war torn areas;

·         The socially excluded;

·         People who’ve been through the juvenile justice system;

·         Runaways and homeless people, and people in social care;

·         People with no legal immigration status;

·         Workers in the ‘informal economy’ and the long term ‘unemployed’;

·         Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) individuals;

·         Migrant workers;

·         Disabled and statemented individuals;

·         People with substance abuse (including alcohol) issues.

They can be coerced through fear, falsely offered opportunities for a better life (contracts, work or emigration), or sucked into false relationships.

Surprisingly, just over 10% of people being trafficked fell into the upper middle and high income groupings in 2021 - a figure believed to be rising according to Salvation Army statistics.

Anyone, including UK nationals - even UK nationals in the UK - can be a victims and rejecting offers of help does not mean that they are not to be considered victims.