Latest News Bulletin

February 2025: Monthly News Roundup

Featured Reports

Reuters: Andrew Tate, charged with rape and trafficking in Romania, lands in the US

The Independent: Andrew Tate timeline: From Big Brother assault scandal to human trafficking charges

BBC: Tate brothers arrive in US after Romania prosecutors lift travel ban

KTUL: Cryptocurrency's dark side: human traffickers exploit digital currencies

The Salvation Army: Progress in cutting backlog of decisions for modern slavery victims

Walk Free: The role of international law in holding governments accountable for modern slavery

Wired: Elon Musk’s Starlink Is Keeping Modern Slavery Compounds Online

Walk Free, Thailand repatriates 260 human traffickingsurvivors from Myanmar in crackdown on forced labour, 17/02/2025

Chatham House: How conflict in Libya facilitated transnational expansion of migrant smuggling and trafficking, 21/02/2025

Vatican News: Nigeria: Must I be trafficked before I can be helped? 13 February, 13/02/2025

Lexology: Forced labour allegations against Dyson: implications for UK companies with global supply chains, 17/02/2025

ABC: Trafficking and crime willrise after US foreign aid freeze, experts say, 10/02/2025

France24: Scores of bodies uncovered in Libyan mass graves linked to human trafficking, 09/02/2025

WGBH.org : State Department erases LGBTQ victims from human trafficking report. 07/02/2025

Walk Free: Trump’s foreign aidfreeze disrupts global fight against modern slavery, 05/02/2025

Policy Updates

Congressman Steve Cohen: Congressman Cohen Re-Introduces SOAR to Health and Wellness Act. (Trafficking awareness training for health care professionals)

NewsChannel 5 (Tennessee, USA): New legislation proposes all TN tattoo shops undergo human trafficking training.

WFSU Public Media (Florida, USA): Florida lawmaker proposes life imprisonment or the death penalty for trafficking the vulnerable.

Modern Slavery Policy and Evidence Centre: Lunchtime seminar: Forced labour import bans, 20/02/2025

The Hindu: Deportations from U.S. put spotlight on human trafficking syndicates, 20/02/2025

Public Law Project: ‘Punishing the Victim’: How the UK’s broken asylum system fails the people it should protect, 20/02/2025

Relief Web: Study on Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants in the Context of the Displacement caused by the War in Ukraine [EN/UK], 19/02/2025

HelenBamber.org: Albanians seeking protection and mental health , January 2025

Homeland Security: Strengthening the Fight Against Human Trafficking: The Critical Need for Data Alignment, Sharing, and True Collaboration, 13/02/2025

Modern Slavery PEC: Are forced labour import bans effective? 12/02/2025

AntiSlavery.org: Analysis of the EU Forced Labour Regulation, 11/02/2025

Walk Free: The Release of the International Criminal Court Office of the Prosecutor’s new Policy on Slavery Crimes, 04/02/2025

Lawsuit Information Center: Sex Trafficking Lawsuits Against Hotels, 01/02/2025

Walk Free: Saudi Arabia becomes first Arab country to launch National Policy on forced labour and worker rights, 31/01/2025

Walk Free: Calls for Modern slavery laws needed to align New Zealand with global standards and protect vulnerable workers, 30/01/2025

United Kingdom and Ireland

The Headlines


Free Movement: High Court finds three Home Office decisions refusing to reinstate trafficking support were unlawful,

The Independent: Judge accused of trafficking woman to UK ‘told police she had diplomatic immunity’, 18/02/2025

The Big Issue: UK immigration policy is stuck in a race to the bottom – with human traffickers the only winners, 19/02/2025

Nottingham University Institute for Policy and Engagement: Advancing the fight against modern slavery through evidence-based research at the University of Nottingham, 20/02/2025

Doughty Street Chambers: High Court judgment on MSVCC re-entry for survivor of modern slavery, 19/02/2025

Modern Slavery PEC: Identifying child criminal exploitation in Northern Ireland, February 2025

labourexploitation.org: Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill: Still a Tool for Exploitation, February 2025

Nottingham University Rights Lab: Modern slavery and child labour in Bangladesh's garment sector: Documenting risks and informing solutions, February 2025

England

  • Greater Manchester: Human trafficking arrests follow abattoir raid. Read more.
  • Wolverhampton: Trio detained in human trafficking and county lines probe. Read more.
  • Oxford: Modern slavery trial as Oxford University student accused. Read more.
  • Birmingham: Six people convicted of modern slavery. Read more.

Scotland

  • Dundee: Police Scotland arrest two in human trafficking and county lines probe. Read more.
  • Caithness: Travel ban for man who 'tortured' women in Highland dungeon. Read more.

Wales

  • Pontypool, Torfaen: Pontnewynydd man charged with five human trafficking offenses. Read more.
  • Swansea: Three plead not guilty in Swansea underage sex trafficking sting operation. What's next.. Read more.

Republic of Ireland

  • BreakingNews.ie: Human trafficking a real issue in Ireland, MEP says. Read more.

Europe

  • Georgia: Accusations Of Egg-Harvesting Rock Georgian Surrogacy Industry. Read more.
  • Romania: Minister questions how Tate brothers could leave Romania. Read more.
  • Spain: Spanish police arrest 48 over suspected human trafficking ring. Read more.
  • Cyprus: Human Trafficking at Kyrenia Port: Suspects Remanded for Three More Days. Read more.
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosnian police arrest three for trafficking group of children. Read more.
  • Spain: Spain busts South American sex-trafficking pipeline. Read more.
  • Italy: Italy’s intel committee calls for EU strategy on Africa. Read more.
  • Romania: U.S. Woman Sues Tate Brothers, Saying They Lured Her to Romania for Sex Work. Read more.
  • Romania: What to Know About the Accusations Against Andrew Tate. Read more.
  • Romania: Who is Andrew Tate? The self-proclaimed misogynist influencer. Read more.
  • Turkey, Georgia and Northern Cyprus: Wombs for Hire: Inside Europe’s Underground Surrogacy Networks. Read more.

Africa

  • African Union: Somewhere to call home; the migration dynamics in Africa. Read more.
  • DRC: Historic case by DR Congo against Rwanda kicks off at African court amid conflict in Goma. Read more.
  • DRC: Modern slavery and climate change: how extreme weather fuels forced labour and unwanted marriages. Read more.
  • Ethiopia: Managing Uncertainty: Factors shaping Ethiopian women’s migration decision making. Read more.
  • Ethiopia, Kenya: 138 Ethiopians, 23 Kenyans rescued from Myanmar slave camps. Read more.
  • Kenya: Promises of foreign jobs turned to human trafficking, exploitation nightmares. Read more.
  • Kenya: Tangled in lies: Cases lift lid on Kenya's human trafficking rings. Read more.
  • Libya: Libyan and two foreign nationals arrested for human trafficking in Kufra. Read more.
  • Libya: Scores of bodies uncovered in Libyan mass graves linked to human trafficking. Read more.
  • Malawi: Exposed - Politician Klaus Chikufenji's Dark Web of Human Trafficking and Fraud. Read more.
  • Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network: St. Bakhita inspires fight against modern slavery, human trafficking in Africa. Read more.
  • South Africa: Trafficked Indian sailors saved from a ‘dead’ ship in Durban harbour after gruelling ordeal. Read more.


Asia and Oceania

  • Bangladesh: Modern slavery and child labour in Bangladesh's garment sector: Documenting risks and informing solutions. Read more.
  • India: NHRC and HNLU host National Conference on combatting Human Trafficking in the Digital Age. Read more.
  • Myanmar: 261 trafficking victims rescued from Myanmar scam center. Read more.
  • Pakistan: Saad wants Naqvi to focus on human trafficking. Read more.
  • Pakistan: Pakistan says at least 16 nationals died in migrant boat sinking near Libya. Read more.
  • Pakistan: Clampdown at Lahore airport, 2,500 people held for irregular emigration. Read more.
  • Thailand: Thailand receives 260 victims of human trafficking from Myanmar, mostly Ethiopians, army says. Read more.
  • Thailand: Investigation launched into human egg trafficking ring targeting Thai women. Read more.
  • Yemen: From Africa to Saudi Arabia: How human trafficking gangs flourish in Yemen. Read more.


Latin America

  • Haiti: Haiti - FLASH : More than 17,000 Haitians risked their lives in 2024, crossing the Darien jungle. Read more.
  • Colombia: Colombia bans child marriage to protect vulnerable girls and combat modern slavery. Read more.
  • LATAM: Businesses Beware: Latin America Transactions Likely to be Significantly Riskier Under the Trump Administration. Read more.
  • Peru: Peruvian Police, U.S. Team Up To Rescue 84 Women From Sex Trafficking. Read more.
  • Venezuela: 8 Venezuelan illegal aliens with ties to Tren da Aragua are charged with transnational commercial sex enterprise crimes. Read more.


North America

  • Colorado, USA: Teen dating violence awareness month highlights connection to human trafficking. Read more.
  • North Carolina, USA: Sharing their stories: Victims of human trafficking open up about experiences. Read more.
  • Ontario, Canada: Raising awareness of human trafficking. Read more.
  • Florida, USA: Human Trafficking Prevention Training unites Leon County neighbors and law enforcement to combat the crime. Read more.
  • Manitoba, Canada: Police arrest seven alleged human trafficking suspects. Read more.
  • Ontario, Canada: Survivor knowledge of human trafficking is invaluable, will the government finally listen? Read more.
  • Ontario, Canada: The Ontario First Nations Young Peoples Council (OFNYPC) releases a statement on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Read more.
  • Saskatchewan, Canada: CWL and Salvation Army join together for Human Trafficking Awareness Day event. Read more.
  • Saskatchewan, Canada: RCMP raising awareness of human trafficking in Saskatchewan. Read more.
  • British Columbia, Canada: Prince George Airport launches human trafficking awareness program. Read more.
  • New York, USA: R. Kelly's sex trafficking conviction upheld. Read more.


  • Toronto, Canada: TD Bank Group backs program to help human trafficking victims eliminate debt. Read more.
JP

1st May Clifton Diocese Webinar: Combatting Human Trafficking