Seeking Sanctuary from conflict

Whether you are looking for work to provide for your family or to obtain accommodation, it is important to know how to find employment safely.

Here are 4 things you should do to keep yourself safe:

1.Tell people where you are working. Note down the address and share it with your friends and family. You can also send them a photo of the address and share your location on your phone.

2.Save emergency numbers on your mobile phone and always keep it with you. Make note of support organisations that can help you.

3.Always keep your ID, travel, and personal documents safe. Do not let your employer hold on to them.

4.Employment contracts can be there to protect you. The lack of a contract poses a risk to your working rights, such as being paid for your work.

Some job ads posted online might not be legitimate.

You should be suspicious of any recruitment process which has any of the following characteristics:

1.The employer demands secrecy.

2.Recruiters pressure you, for example demanding personal information too early in the hiring process.

3.You are not told the salary for the role at any stage in the hiring process.

4.The organisation has minimal online presence.

5.You are asked to pay a fee to secure the job.

6.The trial period is indefinite.

7.You are told that an employment contract is not required.

8.The recruiter does not check your right to work.

You can report suspicious job ads within The STOP APP

You should not have to experience any of the following at work:

• Not been paid for your work

• Being withheld your wages

• Being denied breaks and/or annual leave

• Restricted movement

• Restricted or no access to your earnings

• Being subject to intimidation, coercion, and/or physical or emotional abuse

• No access to your personal documents

• Excessive working hours

If you have experienced any of the above, know this should not be tolerated and there are organisations that can help you.

You can report such incidents within The STOP APP. If possible, document all violations at work in the form of photo/video materials. If anyone is in immediate danger, or a crime is being or has been committed, call the emergency services.

Make sure to make a note of what happened, including details of:

• What the incident was

• When it happened

• Where it happened

• Who was involved and if there were witnesses

Human trafficking is the movement or recruitment of people, either through deception, coercion or force for the purpose of exploitation. Traffickers often profit financially from exploiting people. Refugees and Asylum Seekers can be targeted for exploitative purposes in Europe.

Organ traffickers sometimes forcibly remove organs without consent or through coercion. This is illegal and dangerous. It could cost you your life.

There are many ways people might be lured and trapped into exploitation, including:

Refugees and asylum seekers are often offered help with travel and shelter in exchange for payment later. Don’t agree unless you know all the details. This is a method traffickers use to control and exploit people and an example of debt bondage.

It is very important that whatever choice you make, you ensure you put your safety as a top priority.

Traffickers have many faces. They can be any age, gender or nationality.

Survivors often say they were trafficked by partners, spouses, friends, even family members.

Traffickers are usually motivated by financial gain and are masters in the art of deception.

• They know how to gain trust and make you feel special.
• They often target young people with offers of friendship.
• They may buy you gifts, give you money or offer you drugs or alcohol.

Unfortunately, traffickers’ prey upon people in a vulnerable situation. When trust is established, the trafficker’s kind behaviour may change, and they become controlling, even violent.  Their aim was to lure you in, only to control and exploit you. They may convince you that the situation, even the abuse, is normal.

Traffickers often force people into doing things they don’t want to do. They will pressure and force people to stay in the situation using threats and intimidation.

Control methods include:

If you have found yourself in a situation you want to escape, there are organisations that can help you.

Smuggling and trafficking both involve the movement of people, but there are differences

Smuggling is a service someone requests, despite the danger, for illegal entry into a country. Once the journey and payments are complete, the exchange ends.

Trafficking involves either forcing a person to travel, or making false promises of jobs or safety at the end of that journey. Exploitation can occur at the final destination and/or during the journey.

Smuggling and trafficking can overlap with gangs working together as a criminal network

• The smuggler may be in contact with traffickers and provide information about new people arriving.
• The smuggler may even suggest a ‘trusted contact’ for the person to call on arrival. This ‘trusted contact’ might be a trafficker, waiting to exploit you.

There are many organisations that provide support to Refugees, Asylum Seekers and specialist services that support people under 18.

These support organisations work independently from the police or government. They put the wellbeing and safety of the people they support above all else.

People might tell you that you cannot to trust these organisations – this is untrue. These organisations exist to help you.

These organisations are often referred to by various titles, including; Non-government organisations (NGOs), Not for profit organisations or charities.

These organisations provide a range of services, including: