環(huán)球英語 1392 Slaves in the United Kingdom
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Bruce Gulland.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
A young woman came to England from the country of Lithuania. When she arrived, a man took her to a store on Oxford Street. On this busy street in London, the man sold the young women. The owner of a sex store bought her for 3,000 British pounds. At the store, men paid to have sex with the young woman. Some days, the owner forced her to have sex 25 times with people she did not know. When she left the store, a guard watched her. She could not escape. Every day, people walked up and down Oxford Street. They did not know what was happening. But the police knew. And one day, they surrounded the sex store. They arrested the store owner. And they rescued the young woman.
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This story had a happy ending. But thousands of women in the United Kingdom still suffer as sexual slaves. Today’s Spotlight is on one organization that is working to end sexual slavery in the United Kingdom.
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Many people think of sexual slavery as a problem only in particular countries - like Thailand or India. These countries are well known for their sex trade industry. However, sexual slavery is a global problem. In the United Kingdom, sex traders have brought more than 4,000 women and girls into the country. Sometimes, these women know that they will be sex workers. But most think they will be working as child care or food service workers. None of them expect to be unpaid slaves - living and working in terrible situations.
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Many people wonder how women become sex slaves. Think about the young woman from the beginning of the program. You may wonder ‘why did she come to England?’ Or ‘how did she let herself be sold?’ For many women, their story begins like this:
Voice 1
In Lithuania, a business man offers a young woman a good job in the United Kingdom. The woman agrees to do the job. She is exited to travel to the United Kingdom and begin her new job. But when she arrives, the business man takes her passport and travel papers. The young woman does not speak very much English. And she is in a new and different culture. At first, she does not fully understand what is happening. Then, the business man sells the women to a sex store owner. Only now, does she begin to recognize what has happened. She has been sold into slavery.
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Hope for Justice is an organisation working in the United Kingdom. Their goal is to end slavery in that country. However, fighting sexual slavery is difficult. And one of the greatest difficulties is lack of knowledge. People simply do not know about these slaves. The slaves live in small, dark rooms. Guards are always watching them. Often, the owners threaten to kill the women if they tell anyone about their situation.
Voice 1
Many of these women are afraid to escape. Other women believe it is too late to change their life. Even when women do escape, they continue to live in fear. On the Hope for Justice website, there is the story of a West African girl. She explains,
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“After my parents died I was left totally alone. Someone I trusted offered to help by getting me a job in the United Kingdom. But a few days after I left West Africa I was forced to work in a sex store on the South Coast. I was just 15... After a month I managed to escape. I ran by the coast for many kilometres. I was afraid to stop. I feared the sex store owners may have come after me. Finally, I found a police station and told an officer my story. The police cared for me and gave me a safe place to live. Although, I am now free, I still fear the store owners will come back for me.”
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Hope for Justice believes that no person should live in fear of slavery. So, they work in several ways to end sexual slavery in the United Kingdom. First, they work with the police. They help to investigate cases of slavery. They work with great care, so that the criminals do not know they are investigating.
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When Hope for Justice confirms a case of slavery, they give the information to police. The police can then rescue the slaves and arrest the slave traders and owners. Hope for Justice also encourages the legal system to treat slavery as a serious crime. They encourage strong punishment of the criminals. They also support the development of laws that are effective at ending slavery.
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But Hope for Justice does not end with freeing slaves and punishing criminals. They also work with former slaves to improve their lives. Most former slaves are not from the United Kingdom. They may not speak English. And they usually do not have many resources. Former sex slaves may also have serious physical and mental wounds. Hope for Justice helps former slaves find the resources they need to recover and start a new life.
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Finally, Hope for Justice works with local Christian churches. They encourage the churches to organise small groups of people that are interested in ending sexual slavery. Hope for Justice trains these groups in two ways. First, they teach the groups how to influence their local government. These groups then encourage the government to make better laws against sexual slavery. They also encourage the government to better investigate slavery cases.
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Hope for Justice also trains the church groups to recognise signs of slavery. That way, these groups can help slaves in their own communities. On their website, Hope for Justice tells the story of Katie:
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Katie became a sexual slave at a very young age. She lived in continual fear. She was forced to have sex so many times that she stopped counting. One day, Katie visited a local church that worked with Hope for Justice. The people in the church knew the signs of slavery. They recognized the signs in Katie’s life. They talked to Katie. And they helped her escape. Today, Katie is free. However, through the work of Hope for Justice, Katie received more than just freedom. She explains,
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“Thanks to the work of Hope for Justice, I have never felt so safe.”
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Slavery is a terrible crime. But it can end. Hope for Justice is just one organisation working against slavery. Listen for another Spotlight program about a United Nations movement to end slavery around the world.
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The writer of this programme was Shelagh Godwin. The producer was Luke Haley. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it on the internet at https://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Slaves in the United Kingdom’.
Voice 2
We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.
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