Welsh NRM Statistics - we need to pray!

We received an email today that shared the latest statistics about the how many victims of slavery / trafficking entered the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) in the second quarter of 2020 in the UK. You can read what I read below:

For the UK in Quarter 2 2020, 2,209 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the NRM; a 23% decrease from the preceding quarter, and a 5% decrease from the same quarter in 2019. However, Wales for this period is ‘bucking the trend’ and NRM referrals increased by 12% (90 referrals to 101). UK NRM Referrals:

  • England 2,646 referrals to 2,011 – 24% decrease

  • Scotland 105 referrals to 77 – 27% decrease

  • Northern Ireland 30 referrals to 18 – 40% decrease

  • Wales 90 referrals to 101 – 12% increase

Labour exploitation was the most common exploitation type for adult potential victims, whilst criminal exploitation was most commonly reported for child potential victims. Potential victims from the UK , Albania and Vietnam were the three most common nationalities referred to the NRM, as in the preceding quarter.

To put these numbers into context - it works out that at least 1 person is identified as a victim of slavery / trafficking every single day in Wales. Wales is the only region in the UK that has seen an increase in victims entering the NRM. This could be because of the great work being done by various partner agencies in identifying victims and getting them the help that they need. Alternatively, it could be that there has been an increase in slavery, trafficking and exploitation taking place in Wales. Either way, our fitting response should be prayer! We can pray for:

  • Victims of modern slavery to be identified, rescued and restored.

  • Perpetrators of modern slavery to be brought to justice.

  • Police, agencies and authorities at every stage of the fight against modern slavery in Wales to know protection, provision and success in their work.

These statistics are quite shocking and shoal surely make us more determined than ever to stand against the injustice of modern slavery in Wales.

#jointheresistance

Dai HankeyComment