DEBBIE ARIYO OBE, FOUNDER OF AFRUCA/BASNET, AWARDED ‘ACTIVATE FUND’ GRANT TO DEVELOP RESIDENTIAL CAPACITY-BUILDING PROGRAMME FOR BME ANTI-TRAFFICKING INNOVATORS
AFRUCA – Safeguarding Children has received a major grant from the Churchill Fellowship to design and implement a three-day residential capacity-building programme for Black and Minority Ethnic Anti-Trafficking Innovators who are members of the UK BME Anti-Slavery Network (BASNET).
African Parent-Students and the challenges of Parenting in the UK
Many African parent-students come to the UK sent by their governments or on scholarship programmes to study at universities across the country. Most of these students arrive in the UK without being given adequate information that helps them to familiarise themselves with the culture and norms as well as to understand the UK’s law on children’s welfare.
Private Screening of AFRUCA’s 20th Anniversary Documentary
AFRUCA has produced a 32-minute documentary to help capture its work safeguarding children in the UK over the 20 years of its existence.
AFRUCA Statement On Sir Mo Farah’s Story of Child Trafficking
It was really hard for us at AFRUCA to watch last night’s BBC programme on Sir Mo Farah, the British Olympic Champion, and the revelation that he was trafficked from Djibouti to the UK at the age of nine years and forced to work as a domestic slave and look after children.
Promoting equality, inclusion and diversity in the anti-trafficking and anti-slavery space
In June, Jakub Sobik of the Modern Slavery, Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre conducted an interview with Debbie Ariyo to find out the reason why Debbie founded BASNET and how BASNET can help to improve equality, diversity and inclusion in modern slavery research. During her interview, Debbie not only gave an insightful analysis of the adverse effects of modern slavery and human trafficking on children and young people in the UK, but she also presented vital recommendations and action plans to tackle the issue
AFRUCA’s 2022 Away-day
The away-day provided staff with an opportunity to interact with each other in a different setting to the usual working environment, creating a platform for the discussion of ideas and the sharing of skills and experiences.
Nigerian Confraternities and the Increase in Human Trafficking Across Europe
By Debbie Ariyo Introduction Standing on a roadside trying to flag down a taxi near Termini Station in Rome, Italy some years ago, the harsh reality of the humongous scale of Nigerian human trafficking for sexual exploitation in Europe was brought straight home to me....
How The Reframing of Migration as Trafficking Affects Migrant-Sending Communities in West Africa
As far back as the 1980s during my undergraduate years at the University of Benin in Benin City, Bendel State (now divided into Edo and Delta States) Nigeria, female students were leaving the university to migrate to Italy for work. During this period, Nigeria was experiencing a terrible economic downturn. There were national debates whether Nigeria should take on a huge IMF loan and the consequence this would have on citizens, as the government introduced “austerity measures” to address the crumbling economy.
Children In Ghana’s Fishing Sector: If We Dont Understand Slavery, We Cannot Help Its Victims
In May and June 2019, I visited Ghana as the first part of my 2019 Winston Churchill travel fellowship. My aim was to better understand the various drivers of child trafficking in Ghana’s fishing sector and to explore some of the responses on the ground by engaging with a range of government agencies, NGOs and those working to support children who have been rescued.
Cries of the Youth: Addressing Gun and Knife Crime in Manchester
There has been a sharp rise in crime involving the use of guns and knives in Manchester. The Greater Manchester Police, have reported that in the first quarter of 2019, there were around 787 recorded crimes involving the use of a knife. This includes threatening behaviour and possession of such weapons.
