If you are accused of human trafficking, it is imperative that you get legal advice straight away. If you or someone you know has been accused of human trafficking, it is incredibly important that you seek legal assistance at once.

Also known as people trafficking, human trafficking is a serious crime and is classed as an extreme violation of human rights. Each year, men, women and children in their thousands fall into the hands of traffickers, both in their home countries and abroad.

Most countries across the globe are impacted by trafficking in some way, and there are international laws in place to try and prevent this issue from worsening.

Exploitation can take a number of forms, including:

• The sex trade: sex trafficking is one of the most common ways people are exploited.
• Forced labour: this involves obtaining a person for the purpose of labour or services.
• Domestic servitude: this form of exploitation is often difficult to detect and it is usually a form of forced labour of someone working in a domestic help environment.

Human trafficking is a very serious offence, and those found guilty will usually receive a custodial sentence. Investigations are usually very complex, and broad allegations can be made against organisations or individuals, or those who may have played legitimate roles within a complicated series of events.

People smuggling is a similar offence to human trafficking but is characterised in a different way. While trafficking involves exploitation, smuggling is a voluntary act in which violence or coercion is not usually involved.

We have particular expertise in representing haulage companies accused of assisting “clandestine entrants”.