The Anti-Slavery Collective in conversation with The Salvation Army

Описание: Our co-founders, HRH Princess Eugenie of York and Julia de Boinville, are thrilled to speak to our friends from the Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery Unit at The Salvation Army. Major Kathy Betteridge is the Director of the Unit and Emilie Martin is the Head of Operations.

At the beginning of lockdown, the number of potential victims being referred to The Salvation Army dropped. The UK’s national referral mechanism reported a 14% fall in referrals in the first quarter of 2020. Unfortunately, as Kathy says, this was likely due to a decrease in opportunities for identifying victims during lockdown, rather than a decrease in exploitation. As lockdown is easing, referrals are beginning to increase again, as people are out in public and able to spot the signs of exploitation. As Kathy and Emilie both emphasise, it is very important to be aware of the potential signs of modern slavery, especially now when victims are likely to be more exploited and abused by their traffickers than before.

Throughout COVID-19, The Salvation Army has focused on maintaining and extending support for survivors already in their service, whilst also preparing further support, beds and accommodation in the case of a potential influx of new people or an outbreak in a safehouse. We are so pleased to hear that, thankfully, the thousands being supported by The Salvation Army have been protected from the devastation of the virus. The stories of hope from both Kathy and Emilie illustrate how The Salvation Army continues to provide quality support, both in the UK and internationally. The dedication and flexibility of their amazing support workers and community has been absolutely key to this.

Learn how to spot the signs of modern slavery: https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/mode...

Support The Salvation Army's Victim Care fund: https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/volu...

If you suspect that you or someone you have come across might be a victim of modern slavery and in need of support, please call The Salvation Army’s 24/7 confidential referral helpline on 0800 808 3733.