» Hundreds Of Nigerians Illegally Trafficked To UK For Sex, Says Anti-Slavery Chief «

Hundreds of people from Nigeria are being
illegally trafficked to the UK, where they face
sexual exploitation or being forced into
domestic servitude.
The anti-slavery commissioner, Kevin
Hyland, said tackling the flow of people
from the African country was one of his
main priorities and promised to oversee
work bringing together law enforcement
agencies in Nigeria and Europe to get to
grips with the problem.
Official figures show that more than 2,000
potential trafficking victims were referred to
the authorities in 2014 – 244 of whom were
from Nigeria, a 31% increase from the
previous year.
The National Crime Agency statistics show
the number of victims from Nigeria was
second only to the total from Albania.
Hyland told BBC Radio 4’s Today
programme: “I am extremely concerned
about this. And we’re talking about several
hundred every year. This isn’t just a one-off
– it’s continuous – so the treatment of these
people, what they go through, is actually a
very serious crime, so for me it’s a big
problem.
“But also I think the fact that there is a
demand for this kind of exploitation in the
United Kingdom really concerns me, that
there are people who will want to buy sex,
will want to exploit, will want to have
children as what are current-day slaves, so
that is a really serious problem.”
Hyland said international action was needed
to address the problem. He said: “It’s about
working with the law enforcement agencies
in Nigeria – working with all those in the
communities and telling them this could
happen – and that’s never been brought
together before, so it’s unique.
“This is a new idea – Europol, Interpol,
National Crime Agency, all must work
together. It’s up to me to oversee this. This
is not about lack of resources but about
using them effectively.”
In December, the Home Office published
figures estimating there are between 10,000
and 13,000 potential victims of slavery in
the UK. They include women forced into
prostitution, domestic staff and workers in
fields, factories and on fishing boats.
Earlier this month, Hyland warned that
“Oliver Twist scenarios” are taking place on
Britain’s streets as children are forced to
engage in pickpocketing, shoplifting and
begging.
The former Metropolitan police detective
was appointed in November to spearhead
the government’s fight against modern
slavery.