Declaration of intent to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking by Brighton & Hove City Council
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Modern slavery includes human trafficking, domestic servitude, forced labour or criminality and sexual exploitation. There are more slaves worldwide today than at the height of the Atlantic slave trade in the 18th Century. That includes over 13,000 modern slaves in the UK today - and the number is growing. Modern slavery is a hidden crime, and it is closer than we think. It is happening in every corner of the country, and that includes here.
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Brighton & Hove has a reputation for embracing and thriving on difference and is more recently famed for celebrating the diversity of its residents. As part of the City of Sanctuary national network, Brighton & Hove seeks to celebrate the contribution of those that have come here for safety and to reduce isolation, fear and exclusion. Brighton & Hove cannot deny its past and works hard to be a safe and welcoming city to all who come here.
Building on this, Brighton & Hove City Council is pleased to adopt this declaration of intent which will be the council’s response to the horror of modern-day slavery and human trafficking and serve as the basis of future policies and procedures to tackle it.
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Brighton & Hove City Council abhors the vile and brutal crime of modern slavery and human trafficking in which people are treated like commodities and exploited for criminal gain. The council will do everything in its power to work with Sussex Police and other law enforcement agencies to help disrupt and bring to justice perpetrators of such crimes across the city.
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Brighton & Hove will adopt a victim-focused approach to modern slavery and human trafficking and endeavour to safeguard such individuals - whether they be children or adults – and provide for their health and wellbeing needs while they are in the care of the council
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Brighton & Hove City Council will do all in its power to avoid any element of modern slavery and human trafficking in its procurement process or its procurement supply chain. In accordance with Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 Brighton & Hove City Council will produce a Transparency Statement to this effect.
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Brighton & Hove City Council is fully aware of its designation as a First Responder Agency under the National Referral Mechanism and its responsibility to identify potential victims and refer cases to the UK Human Trafficking Centre Competent Authority of the National Referral Mechanism.
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Brighton & Hove City Council is aware of the need to train its staff to the highest possible level to ensure they are able to rescue and care for victims and refer them into the National Referral Mechanism should the victim consent to do so.
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Brighton & Hove City Council is working with the Sussex Anti-Slavery Network to ensure that all local authorities (including districts and boroughs) in this region agree to adopt the National Training Delivery Group training.
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Brighton & Hove City Council will train all its staff and elected members to ensure they are educated to the highest possible level in order for them to identify potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking and how to engage with victims in order to ensure they obtain the best possible care and support for their needs.
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Brighton & Hove City Council will publish support guides and the Modern Slavery Helpline number and other helpful information on its corporate website in a variety of languages to help victims, staff and other citizens to report incidents of modern slavery.
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Brighton & Hove City Council will discharge its statutory duty to safeguard any children who they believe are a victim of modern slavery or who are being trafficked into, out of, or across the city.
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Brighton & Hove City Council will work with other statutory authorities and specifically Barnardo’s Panel for the Protection of Trafficked Children (PPTC) to ensure they have in place robust standards to deal with missing child victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.
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Brighton & Hove City Council will actively seek to work in partnership with government, Sussex Police, National Health Service, other law enforcement agencies, community and voluntary sector organisations, and any other bodies or organisations working to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking.
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Brighton & Hove City Council will work closely with the Anti-Slavery Commissioner to help improve the plights of victims, improve and enhance the support provided by the National Referral Mechanism, and seek to lobby Parliament to help bring changes to improve current legislation and encourage the development of new legislation should that prove necessary.
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Brighton & Hove City Council will work with Sussex Police to provide intelligence and to help engage with Sussex Police to disrupt modern slavery and human trafficking activity when and where the council become aware of it.
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Brighton & Hove City Council is fully aware that under Section 52 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, it has a Duty to Notify in relation to anyone who is believed to be a victim – both adults and children – of human trafficking (including internal trafficking within the UK) and is willing and keen to do so.
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Brighton & Hove City Council is willing to share appropriate data with all agencies to help tackle this issue. To this end Brighton & Hove City Council will put in place any additional data sharing arrangements or Memorandum of Understanding as required as well as utilising powers under the Crime & Disorder Act 1988.
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Brighton & Hove City Council will create a Modern Slavery Steering Group to develop policy and procedures and oversee the Brighton & Hove City Council response to modern slavery and human trafficking at the highest level. This Group will be responsible for ensuring the delivery and implementation of the intentions set out in this document.
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Further to the items specified above, Brighton & Hove City Council is more than willing to take whatever further steps it deems fit to help address the whole issue of modern slavery and human trafficking and help protect victims, disrupt criminal activity and work closely with Sussex Police and other agencies to bring to justice perpetrators of this abhorrent crime.
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Dated: 24th September 2020
Signed:
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Cllr. Phelim Mac Cafferty Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council |
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Cllr. Nancy Platts Leader of the Labour Group |
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Cllr. Steve Bell Leader of the Conserative Group |
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Geoff Raw Chief Executive Officer |
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