Kate Garbers

Last updated

Kate Garbers
Born1981
NationalityBritish
OccupationNon-profit director
Human-rights activist
OrganizationUnseen charity
Known forFighting modern slavery
AwardsInfluencer Award
Amnesty International
McWhirter Foundation

Kate Garbers (born 1981) is a founder and former managing director [1] [2] of the Bristol, UK-based anti-slavery organisation and charity Unseen. [3] She has developed projects to support survivors of slavery, and assists and advises survivors. She also works with law enforcement agencies and governments on how to tackle trafficking, including contributing to the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the National Referral Mechanism Review. [4] [5]

Contents

Career

Garbers became an activist after working with children in a Ukrainian orphanage and learning there would be no help or places for them to go. This gave rise to problems including alcohol and drug abuse, homelessness, human trafficking and prostitution, which local police had difficulty dealing with. [6]

Garbers teamed up with Andrew Wallis, an anti-trafficking campaigner, to establish Unseen UK in November 2008 [7] and later opened southwest England's first safe house for women victims of trafficking in Bristol. [6]

Unseen's "Let's Nail It" campaign was supported by Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy and Bristol North West MP Darren Jones. [8] As well as campaigning against exploitation of employees working in nail-bars, [9] Garbers has highlighted exploitation of workers in car-wash facilities, [3] including in 2016 when Garbers and Unseen staff participated in visits with 50 police resources dispatched to 24 business locations in Devon and Cornwall in a multi-agency operation across five forces, and led by the National Crime Agency, over possible labour exploitation. [10]

In 2018, Garbers spoke at the TEDxExeter conference about modern slavery. [11]

Awards

In 2012, Garbers received a Citizenship Award from the McWhirter Foundation. [12] In 2015, Unseen was given a Charity Times Award for Best Charity under £1 million. [12] In 2017, Garbers received the Influencer Award, a UK national Social Change Award for her work combatting human trafficking, including contributing to the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the National Referral Mechanism Review. [4]

On International Women's Day in March 2018, Amnesty International recognized Garbers as one of six "ordinary women who are changing the world" by campaigning against modern injustices. [13] She was also named as one of the 100 most influential women in the west of England for her work fighting modern-day slavery at a local, national and international level. [14]

Related Research Articles

Anti-Slavery International Human rights organisation

Anti-Slavery International, founded as the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in 1839, is an international non-governmental organisation, registered charity and advocacy group, based in the United Kingdom. It is the world's oldest international human rights organisation, and works exclusively against slavery and related abuses.

Anthony David Steen CBE is a former British Conservative Party politician and barrister. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1974 to 2010, and the Chairman of the Human Trafficking Foundation. Having represented Totnes in Devon since 1997, he was previously MP for South Hams from 1983, and had also been the MP for Liverpool Wavertree between February 1974 and 1983. From 1992 to 1994, he was Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Peter Brooke MP as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Devon and Cornwall Police English territorial police force

Devon and Cornwall Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial counties of Devon and Cornwall in England. The force serves approximately 1.8 million people over an area of 3,967 square miles (10,270 km2).

Sex trafficking Trade of sexual slaves

Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It has been called a form of modern slavery because of the way victims are forced into sexual acts, usually non-consensually, in a form of sexual slavery. Perpetrators of the crime are called sex traffickers or pimps—people who manipulate victims to engage in various forms of commercial sex with paying customers. Sex traffickers use force, fraud, and coercion as they recruit, transport, and provide their victims as prostitutes. Sometimes victims are brought into a situation of dependency on their trafficker(s), financially or emotionally. Every aspect of sex trafficking is considered a crime, from acquisition to transportation and exploitation of victims. This includes any sexual exploitation of adults or minors, including child sex tourism (CST) and domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST).

Kevin Bales

Kevin Brian Bales is Professor of Contemporary Slavery at the University of Nottingham, co-author of the Global Slavery Index, and was a co-founder and previously president of Free the Slaves. Free the Slaves is the US sister organization of Anti-Slavery International, the world’s oldest human rights organization.

Centre for Social Justice

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MTV EXIT

The MTV EXIT campaign is a multimedia initiative produced by MTV EXIT Foundation to raise awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking and modern slavery. The MTV EXIT Foundation was co-founded by Tom Ehr and Simon Goff The MTV EXIT Foundation is a registered UK charity launched by MTV Networks Europe in 2003 to use the power and influence of MTV's brand and broadcasting network to educate young people about the social issues affecting their lives.

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Human trafficking Trade of humans for the purpose of forced labor, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation

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Human trafficking in Australia

Human trafficking in Australia is illegal under Divisions 270 and 271 of the Criminal Code (Cth). In September 2005, Australia ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, which supplemented the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. Amendments to the Criminal Code were made in 2005 to implement the Protocol.

Kate Holt British photojournalist (born 1972)

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Hope for Justice Non-profit organisation

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Kevin Hyland

Kevin Hyland, OBE was the United Kingdom’s first Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, leading efforts to tackle slavery and human trafficking. He left the post in May 2018 and was succeeded by Dame Sara Thornton. He is the Chair of IHRB's Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment, collaboration between leading companies and expert organisations to drive positive change in the way that migrant workers are recruited. He was formerly head of the London Metropolitan Police Service’s Human Trafficking Unit.

Unseen (organization)

Unseen is a UK-based anti-slavery charity, founded in 2008, working towards a world without slavery. Unseen provides safehouses and support in the community for survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery. The charity also runs the Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline and works with individuals, communities, business, governments, statutory agencies and other charities across various sectors in the fight to end slavery for good. Unseen was founded by Kate Garbers and its current CEO Andrew Wallis.

After Exploitation is a UK-based non-profit organisation using investigative methods to track the unpublished outcomes of modern slavery survivors. The group uses Freedom of Information requests to collate cases of wrongful deportation, detention, and failures by agencies to refer slavery victims for support.

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References

  1. ↑ "Kate Garbers moves on from Unseen". Unseen. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "Child sex and drug trafficking cases 'tip of the iceberg' as UK..." 29 August 2018 – via www.reuters.com.
  3. 1 2 Bulman, May (14 November 2018). "Trafficked car wash workers suffering trench foot, chemical burns and illegally low pay, MPs say". Independent. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Social Change Awards winners announced". www.charitytimes.com.
  5. ↑ "Kate Garbers". Guardian. January 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Influencer Award - Directory of Social Change". Directory of Social Change. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  7. ↑ "Unseen UK". Companies House. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  8. ↑ Wallwork, Ellen (26 October 2017). "MP Darren Jones Sports Red Nail Polish In Parliament To Raise Awareness Of Modern Slavery". Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  9. ↑ Garbers, Kate (5 January 2018). "Nail bars are havens for modern slavery. Here's how you can help tackle it". Guardian. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  10. ↑ "Modern slavery week of action". Devon and Cornwall Police. 6 June 2016.
  11. ↑ Hedge, Stacey. "TEDxExeter Speakers – Page 2". tedxexeter.com.
  12. 1 2 "Kate's dream of creating a world without slavery puts her in line for national award". Bishopston Voice. 30 January 2017.
  13. ↑ Barrie, Joshua (8 March 2018). "6 incredible women changing the world as we celebrate International Women's Day". The Mirror.
  14. ↑ Thatcher, Holly (8 March 2018). "The 100 most influential women in the West". Bristol Post. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
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