Black Country Women’s Aid is working on preventing Romanian women and girls from being
trafficked to the West Midlands through new analysis and better understanding of modern slavery
networks. Spearheaded by BCWA’s new Centre for Analysis of Exploitation (CeAnEx), the project
helps tackle a major regional and national human trafficking issue thanks to the UK Home Office and
British Embassy Bucharest’s Modern Slavery Fund.
Romanian women trafficked to the West Midlands and all over UK for sex work
Research by CeAnEx has found that Romanian women are disproportionately represented within the
West Midlands sex trade. Additionally, Romanian women are also the single largest group that
CeAnEx has encountered during our community engagement; and the majority of these come from
Romanian Roma backgrounds. Based on this evidence, CeAnEx believes that this pattern is replicated
in many large UK cities and this is why we would like to contribute to deter this phenomenon from
perpetuating.
To achieve this, our specialist staff are identifying links between the online world and real-life
exploitation to gather on-the-ground evidence from victims. Their lived experience informs our
research and analysis to provide a clearer, more accurate picture of how victims are recruited,
trafficked and exploited, and the steps needed to prevent this from happening.
Locating and supporting victims
CeAnEx is using the Home Office funding to take a two-pronged prevention and support approach
consisting of research and reports aimed at identifying both the Romanian modern slavery and
human trafficking recruitment areas and help law enforcement representatives disrupt serious and
organised crime activities. By identifying victims, CeAnEx hopes to support more trafficked women in
the West Midlands and Romania to overcome trauma and live independently.
Additionally, through this grant, CeAnEx was also able to recruit a Romanian-speaking Engagement
Officer with the aim to establish better connections with trafficked Romanian women in our region
and help develop a more detailed understanding of the phenomenon and what we can do to stop it.
“Giving victims hope for a better life”
Black Country Women’s Aid CEO Sara Ward says:
“Modern slavery and human trafficking is a problem that hides in plain sight. Flats and houses in
everyday residential streets all over the West Midlands are being used as bases to exploit and abuse
women and girls. CeAnEx’s crucial research has identified Romanian women as being particularly
vulnerable to being trafficked for sex work. Every day we see what exploitation, enslavement, and
abuse can do to people of all ages and backgrounds and we work hard to support victims. This
important project is giving us a better understanding of the roots of this issue and what victims are
experiencing. Our specialists analyse the data gathered online and on the ground to advise law
enforcement on what can be done to disrupt criminal trafficking networks, and together we can give
victims’ hope for a better life.
“We are very grateful to the UK Home Office and British Embassy Bucharest’s Modern Slavery
Funding for funding this initiative, a valuable, far-reaching piece of work for our new CeAnEx service
to be involved with.”
BCWA joins another 6 NGOs working with the UK Home Office and British Embassy Bucharest on
initiatives to reduce trafficking of Romanians to the UK and strengthen responses to modern slavery
and human trafficking in Romania, focusing on prevention, support and building capability.
