The Human Trafficking Community Services Support Portal was launched Monday by the London Police Service (LPS) Crisis Intervention and Victim Support Unit.
LPS partnered with multiple London agencies in efforts to provide better support and treatment for victims of human trafficking.
The portal offers specifics of what support each agency can provide, and at what time they can be accessed.
It also provides these services with a “Care Path.” It’s a series of questions that aim to aid agencies through a step-by-step process to assist with individual situations. According to the LPS media release, a list of agencies is provided, once the questions are answered. They rank in order of priority, ranging from housing to mental-health support.
“When an individual who has been trafficked is looking for support, it needs to be available immediately,” said the London Police Crisis Intervention and Victim Support Unit.
The portal is only accessible to registered agencies and members of the LPS.
“The specific agencies in the directory are not being identified out of safety for those accessing the services. The portal is password protected so that traffickers do not have easy access to all the community agencies their victims may be seeking supports from,” said the London Police Victim Support Unit via email to 980 CFPL.
The unit said they became aware of other communities who had created their own versions of the portal and determined that the London community could benefit from this type of resource.
The unit stressed that it was about timeliness and about the victims’ needs being prioritized.
This resource allows police and service providers to know exactly what is available, and where, at any time, the unit said.
Megan Walker, the executive director of London Abused Women’s Centre (LAWC), told 980 CFPL that the portal is a “critical piece” in helping victims.
“We have a huge problem of trafficking, not only in London, but in this country,” Walker said. “We know that it’s disproportionately women and girls that are being sexually exploited across the country.”
Walker said that 580 women sought help and support from LAWC in 2017. She also described human trafficking as a crisis sweeping the nation.
“It’s very important that all service workers understand the issue of trafficking; understand the significant impact that trafficking has on our communities, on families and on the women who are being trafficked,” said Walker. “To make sure that if we don’t have the information, we have a place to go where we can get it.”