Cardiff hosts trafficking conference

Conference mandate: To awareness about human trafficking in Wales

A conference to raise awareness about human trafficking in Wales will be held on Saturday 3 November in Cardiff.

Wales Against Human Trafficking is being organised by the Christian charity Gweini and will take place in Glenwood Church between 10am and 3.30pm. Tickets cost £5 each.

Huw Watkins, former senior detective in the Gwent police, will begin the day with a keynote exposing the reality of trafficking in Wales. Spokespeople from charities such as International Justice Mission will hold seminars explaining how individuals and churches can respond effectively to trafficking victims.

Jim Stewart, director of Gweini, says: “Raising awareness can help us identify a trafficked person or situation. It will help us to be more quick-witted and ready to respond to injustice on our doorstep.”

We should all respond to injustice on our doorstep

Check out the Wales Against Human Trafficking facebook page for directions and further details about the conference.

Human trafficking: Key facts

“Human trafficking is a crime against humanity. It involves an act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harbouring or receiving a person through the use of force, coercion or other means, for the purpose of exploiting them. Every country in the world is affected by trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit or destination for victims.” United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

“The top five countries for trafficking, based on potential victims referred through the UK’s victim care system, are Nigeria, Vietnam, Romania, China and Slovakia.” Home Office report, 25 October 2012

“Human trafficking is prevalent in every type of community in Wales, from the urban streets of Cardiff to the rolling hills of Carmarthenshire. Human trafficking in Wales is real, is happening now, today.” Joyce Watson, Assembly Member for mid and west Wales

Find out more:

Stop the Traffik is a global coalition working together to help stop the sale of people, to see traffickers prosecuted and to protect the victims of human trafficking.

Stop Human Trafficking: Local Solutions to an International Crime is a website that aims to raise awareness about human trafficking from abroad into Wales and internally across the country.

The Guardian issues regular news stories and updates about human trafficking worldwide.