CCAT Volunteer and Support Survey

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions about volunteering and helping initiate a Slavery Free Croydon. This survey should take no more than 4 minutes to complete, your help is greatly appreciated. Whether you are a current, new or prospective volunteer and supporter, we are keen to hear from you.

Whilst our mission remains to see an end to human trafficking and modern slavery in Croydon, our approach has been revised. We aim to establish Croydon as a slavery-free borough.

In 2004, a committed group of concerned Croydon citizens were made aware of the rising incidence of sexual exploitation in Croydon. In response to this, Croydon Community Against Trafficking (CCAT) was established as a community-led body focused on relieving the suffering of victims of trafficking.

Following a three point strategy of intelligence gathering, awareness raising, and campaigning, CCAT have successfully reduced the number of off-street brothels in operation; raised awareness of human trafficking in Croydon; and garnered support from local stakeholders (including the Metropolitan Police, Croydon Council, and MPs).

In 2021, CCAT commissioned some external research to determine how the modern slavery landscape had changed within Croydon, and adopted a key recommendation of working collaboratively to establish Croydon as a slavery-free borough.

We aim to establish Slavery Free Croydon.

Trafficking and modern slavery have many forms (extending far beyond sex trafficking which has been our primary focus in the past), and it is recognised that our best work has been done when collaborating with others. This document therefore is a request for collaboration with the public, private, and third sectors to create a borough that is committed to eradicating slavery.

Croydon is home to Lunar House and so is a destination for those who seek refuge and a life in the UK. It is also close to travel hubs with routes into the UK by air, rail, and sea; it is a hot spot for those who would seek to abuse and coerce people at their most vulnerable.

We will look at the issues of safeguarding, supply chains, labour exploitation, sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, organ harvesting, and trafficked children. We will also consider all the ways in which modern slavery manifests itself in the UK and create a robust referral pathway system to assist with the main objectives.

We believe this will require multi-agency cooperation over a five year period to establish Croydon as a slavery-free borough.

We believe there are many ways for you and/or your organisation to get involved in the first multi-agency partnership of its kind in London. This could include providing funding, volunteers, technical and research assistance, training, expertise or advice, communications, marketing, and gifts in kind (such as office/event space), as well as raising awareness of trafficking amongst employees and the wider community. 

This survey is helping us move our aims forward and initiate Slavery Free Croydon. Your help in this regard is greatly appreciated.