Museum of London puts hands up for freedom
23 January 2007
Museum of London is displaying a temporary exhibition in its foyer from 16 March until 7 May 2007.
Hands Up for Freedom has been developed by Anti-Slavery International, with the aim of creating public awareness of contemporary forms of slavery, in particular of trafficking in human beings. The series of freestanding panels outline the keys issues of migration, what is trafficking, why and how it exists, as well as examining individual case studies.
Between 1985 and 2000 the number of people living outside their country of origin rose from 105 million to 175 million. Contrary to popular belief, people are not only moving from developing to developed countries. In fact, about 60% of the world’s migrants have taken up residence in developing countries.
Factors such as conflict, environmental disaster and mismanagement of resources can lead to poverty, unemployment, less public services and an increase in the cost of living. This makes it hard for people to sustain themselves and their families. Family breakdown, sickness or death often forces other family members to send children away from home in search of work and better life opportunities.
Made simple, trafficking is the movement of people from one area or country to another with the aim of exploiting them for work using coercion, deception or the threat or use of violence. Most people who are trafficked are migrant workers, looking to escape from poverty and discrimination, to improve their lives and send money home to their families.
It is a system that is founded on violence and false promises. It is also extremely lucrative, currently estimated to net profits of $7 to $10 billion each year world wide, which is comparable to profits made from trafficking in drugs or weapons.
For most people it is only once they reach their destination that they discover the work and conditions they were promised does not exist. Instead they are forced to work conditions they did not agree to. People are trafficked into a range of work including in agriculture, construction, catering, domestic work, packing and processing, cleaning or the sex industry.
In recent years numbers have grown rapidly, although the nature of trafficking means that it is hidden and therefore hard to document accurate figures. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates globally at least 2.4 million people at any one point are trafficked; half are children.
Traffickers use a variety of different methods of control over their victims including violence, torture, rape, removal of travel documents, and threats to the safety of families back at home. Migrants believe that if they approach the authorities they will either be deported or prosecuted, in many cases well founded fears.
Often migrants have had to borrow the money to fund the journey to the supposed well paid job. Upon arrival they are told they owe money and that their labour is demanded as repayment, so they cannot leave. They need to earn the money to repay the debt and their responsibilities as often pride and sometimes social status are dependent on them doing so, which enslaves them to the trafficker even more.
It is rare for traffickers to be identified or for enough evidence gathered to press charges against them. Equally problematic is the fact that even today, there are few law enforcement bodies who understand what trafficking is and how it operates. This means they fail to identify people they come into contact with as trafficked, hence unable to take them out of the trafficking cycle or build a case against the trafficker.
In recent years the trafficking of human beings has grown considerably and it is no coincidence that is has done so together with an increasing international demand for migrant workers. The lack of opportunities for individuals to migrate legally to take up jobs in other countries leaves potential migrants vulnerable to trafficking.
Hands Up for Freedom is the first in a number of initiatives from Museum of London and Museum in Docklands during the bicentenary of the abolition of the British slave trade. In October, Museum in Docklands will open the only dedicated permanent gallery looking at London’s involvement in trade which connects London with West Africa and the Caribbean.
For press information please contact:
Marian Williams
Museum of London Press Office
tel: 020 7814 5502
email: mwilliams@museumoflondon.org.uk
Notes to editors
- Anti-Slavery International was founded in 1839 by the same abolitionists who led the campaign against the slave trade in 1807 and fought for Britain's abolition of slavery in 1833. The charity continues to work for an end to all forms of slavery throughout the world, including human trafficking.
Anti-Slavery International works to end slavery by campaigning for its eradication, exposing current cases, supporting the initiatives of local organisations to release people and pressing for more effective implementation of national and international laws against slavery.
For more information call Beth Herzfeld on 020 7501 8934 b.herzfeld@antislavery.org, or visit www.antislavery.org
- From March 2007 the museum will be redeveloping its lower galleries to retell the story of London and Londoners from 1666 to the present day. The £18 million project, which is the largest the Museum has seen since opening in 1976, will revitalize the galleries, open up 25% more gallery space and create a glass frontage overlooking London Wall.
The new galleries will open in 2009 with significantly increased access to the Museum’s objects, both in the galleries and online, and will also include a new Clore Learning Centre, a theatre and a central Sackler Hall containing an information zone and coffee point.
- Throughout the redevelopment work, visitors will continue to be able to discover the city's many incarnations in the London before London, Roman London, and Medieval London galleries, together with London's Burning and a series of topical exhibitions. A full programme of activities and events for all ages, bringing London's past and present to life, will continue.
- For more information, including about how to support the project by “buying a year of London’s history” and becoming part of the new display see www.museumoflondon.org.uk/buyayear or call 020 7814 5505.