Editorial
| Date | 12 February 2018 |
| Published date | 12 February 2018 |
| Pages | 1-4 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JAP-12-2017-0041 |
| Author | Bridget Penhale,Margaret Flynn |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Adult protection,Safeguarding,Sociology,Sociology of the family,Abuse |
Bridget Penhale and Margaret Flynn
Welcome to the first issue of 2018, and our first in this, our 20th anniversary year. As in many of
our issues of the journal, we initially present a number of news items relating to safeguarding that
have appeared in the past few months that readers may find interesting. Before introducing the
main contents of this issue, please see below for a selection of these items that appeared across
the news media.
In October 2017, media of different types re-visited that all too familiar subject of sexual
harassment, misconduct and assaults, this time with ramifications for film-makers, fashion
photographers, “stars”and politicians. No workplace is immune from employees who struggle
with the concept of consent. The default and complicit stance of so many employers is to take no
action to protect staff that report harassment and bullying. The urgency of cultural change to
address demeaning workplace offences has never been clearer.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice, has
issued guidelines to ensure that the victims of child sexual abuse are not denied compensation
on the mistaken grounds that they provided consent to the abuse that happened to them. During
July, a coalition of charities had warned the justice secretary that children were being denied
payments even if their abusers had been imprisoned[1]. The CICA’s chief executi ve
acknowledged the contribution of the charities in revising its guidance so that victims are not
refused rightful compensation[2].
The Salvation Army has reported a 300 increase in the number of victims of modern slavery
referred for their support in the last six years, that is, from 378 during 2011 to 1,554 last year[3].
This includes an inc rease in the number of men f rom Vietnam traffic ked to work in illegal
cannabis farms. The highest number of vi ctims overall came from Alba nia, the majority of whom
were women trafficked for sexual exploitation. Needless to report that these victims are forced
into forms of employment, which they have not chosen and for which they are not paid,
in conditions that a re unlawful. Their “debts”increas e exponentially and threats of violence
are commonplace.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services published “Stolen
freedom: the policing response to modern slavery and human trafficking[4]”. This states that its:
[…] review of current and recent cases of modern slavery and human trafficking in our ten fieldwork
forces […] raises serious concerns about the quality of investigations. We found that investigations are
being closed prematurely, with lines of enquiry still open. In some cases, victims and witnesses were
not even spoken to by the police. As a result of these failings, victims are left unprotected while
offenders are not brought to justice, leaving them free to continue to exploit people as commodities.
Too much police work in this area is reactive, showing little understanding of the nature and scale of
modern slavery and human trafficking. It was disappointing to find that some frontline officers did not
consider modern slavery to be an issue in their force area. We were also concerned to encounter
some neighbourhood officers who said that they avoided raising the issue of modern slavery and
human trafficking with local communities because they did not believe the public were either
interested in or sympathetic to victims of these crimes […] Government estimates previously
suggested there were between 10,000 and 13,000 potential victims of modern slavery and human
trafficking in the UK in 2013. However, the true number is likely to be far higher, because many victims
are unable or reluctant to engage with authorities (or may not be recognised as victims of this kind of
offending if they do) and may be moved frequently across geographical boundaries. While the plight of
victims remains unseen and unresolved, offenders can and will continue to exploit them.
As many readers of the journal will be aware, we have published two papers in the last year that
considered the issues related to modern slavery. And additionally, under the remit of the Care Act
DOI 10.1108/JAP-12-2017-0041 VOL. 20 NO. 1 2018, pp. 1-4, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1466-8203
j
THE JOURNAL OF ADULT PROTECTION
j
PAG E 1
Editorial
To continue reading
Request your trial