Migrant Victims of Exploitation

Support is available for migrant victims of exploitation. This includes victims who may have experienced trafficking or exploitation. Seeking support can be a difficult thing for a migrant victim of exploitation as they may have been threatened or had their family threatened by the people exploiting them.

Victims may also find other barriers in seeking support, like not being allowed to leave a house / workplace, denied access to a phone, stopped from accessing healthcare or having a language barrier.

Based within the Victim and Witness Hub is a dedicated Lithuanian, Russian and Romanian speaking Specialist Victim and Witness Care Coordinator who supports Migrant victims of Exploitation including victims of trafficking and exploitation.

The role of the Specialist Victim and Witness Care Coordinator

The Coordinator acts as an advocate for these victims and provides practical and emotional support to help them cope and recover from their experiences. The Specialist Coordinator is responsible for working with the Constabulary and other agencies to identify migrant victims. The Coordinator is also responsible for supporting victims of crime regardless of whether the crime has been reported. The role also involves facilitating liaison between other agencies (in particular the National Referral Mechanism) and service providers where necessary.

The Specialist Coordinator is based within the Victim and Witness Hub but works in an outreach capacity at Wisbech Police Station alongside the Multi-Agency Operation Pheasant team who are tasked with proactively tackling human trafficking and exploitation.

The Specialist Victim Care Coordinator also supports the Constabulary with pre-planned operations providing professional support for any identified victims and acting as a single point of contact for those victims throughout and until the conclusion of any criminal justice process. They ensure victims are kept regularly up to date on the progress of their crimes by providing a service that is complementary to the roles of Officer In Charge (OIC), investigative functions, and specialist teams.