Women, the refugee crisis and trafficking

Back to all Motions

Conference
2016 National Women's Conference
Date
15 October 2015
Decision
Carried

Conference notes that Refugees from Syria’s civil war, which is in its fifth year, has killed around 250,000 people, forced 3.98 million to flee the country, and internally displaced around 7.6 million people.

The prospect of a better life in Europe has driven many to make the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean. Thousands have died en route. Their misery, which makes them easy prey for people smugglers, is part of a global phenomenon that produces almost $26bn a year.

Charging an average of around $3,000 a person to reach Europe, the criminal gangs and the industry as a whole are flourishing.

Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia have all been affected. Among the displaced, women and children remain the most vulnerable. Never ending uncertainty, lack of privacy, lack of educational resources, violence, abject hunger and poverty, the threat of being trafficked into slavery are everyday realities faced by many.

Save the Children warn “Unaccompanied children are at the greatest risk from people traffickers, some are being forced into manual labour, domestic work, drug smuggling and prostitution.”

Conference notes that there are up to 27 million people living in conditions of slavery, in forced labour or sexual exploitation around the globe today. The UNODC ( United Nations office of Drugs and Crime) reports that global demand for prostitution and forced labor generates 32 billion dollars annually.

Trafficking women and children specifically for sexual exploitation is a high-profit and low risk endeavour for traffickers and the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world. Despite the fact international law and the laws of 134 countries criminalise sex trafficking, human trafficking is the third largest international crime industry behind illegal drugs and arms trafficking. Nearly 100 000 people are trafficked across international borders every year of which more than 70% are women and half are children. Every 30 seconds, a child is trafficked, and the practice is often heightened in the wake of conflict or natural disaster.

The UK is a significant destination country for women, children and men to be trafficked. Women and girls make up 98% of victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation. One woman can earn a trafficker between £26,000 and £52,000 per year from one victim. Furthermore, 11% of British business leaders polled through YouGov admitted that it was ‘likely’ modern slavery was playing a part in their supply chain. Britain has averaged one supply chain crisis per year in the last three years.

All Sex trafficking violates basic human rights, including the rights to bodily integrity, equality, dignity, health, security, and freedom from violence and torture. Key international human rights treaties, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), consider sex trafficking a form of sex discrimination and a human rights violation.

The National Women’s Conference calls on the National women’s committee to:

– Consider how to support the International World Day against trafficking in human persons on 30 July

– Forge closer links with UNISON’s international department in order to improve engagement with international campaigns and solidarity initiatives and to help raise awareness of the key issues in those countries identified as priority for UNISON.

– Circulate via email to regional groups UNISON’s International Days’ Resource calendar that supports international women and girls initiatives amongst other organising initiatives

– Encourage regions and branches to affiliate to those organisations that are a priority for UNISON.

– Continue to work with those organisations that cross borders in their quest to eliminate violence against women, such as the Fawcett society, CEDAW, Amnesty International, and encourage regions and branches to affiliate where appropriate

SW Regional Womens committee