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Notices and Press Releases

Eaves (for Poppy Project) : receives vital government funding to support female victims of trafficking

Victims of sex trafficking in the UK require high-level protection and support. That is the message from the UK Government following today's announcement that women's charity Eaves will receive £2.4m over two years to extend the highly successful POPPY Project.

"As the only established NGO with experience of providing direct support to trafficked women, we are delighted that the Home Office has allocated further resources to ensure Eaves and the POPPY Project can effectively provide support to those women who need it,"

Set up by Eaves in 2003, the POPPY Project has the capacity to provide support to 25 women who have been trafficked into prostitution in the UK at any one time. To date, over 100 women trafficked into the UK and without access to public funds have received support. With Home Office funding, POPPY will continue to provide 25 crisis bedspaces and an additional 10 bed spaces to accommodate women who require less intensive support, for up to two years.

The new Home Office funding will also see the creation of a four-strong, 24/7 outreach team who will identify and approach women involved in the sex industry that may have been trafficked. The team will work in partnership with the police, immigration service and sexual health outreach projects to develop accessible, appropriate and safe exit strategies.

The POPPY Project will also continue to share its expertise by providing guidance to other projects looking to support victims of trafficking within the UK and abroad.

"The Board of Eaves Housing for Women are delighted that the UK Government is prioritising assistance and protection to trafficking victims",

Information about POPPY:

• The POPPY Project received 454 referrals between March 2003 and March 2006. Half of these women (227) did not meet the project's criteria; 27 returned to their countries of origin; and 28 made no further contact with the service. Of the remaining 172 women, POPPY was able to provide full support and accommodation to 93 women and supported 24 women on an outreach basis. POPPY was unable to support 55 women because the project was at capacity.
• 30% of all referrals are from the police; 24% via another NGO; 14% through a solicitor and 7% through immigration services. The project also receives referrals from a number of other sources including social services, health services and men who visit brothels.
• 56% of all women referred to the POPPY Project were from Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltic States; with the remainder of referrals for women whose countries of origin included: Nigeria; Thailand; Malaysia; Uganda; Vietnam; China; and Mongolia.
• Women receive high-level support from POPPY's specialist support workers including evaluation of health needs, counselling and therapy, analysis of personal danger and assessment of educational requirements.
• Evidence of post-traumatic stress disorder, gynaecological problems, sexually transmitted diseases and alcohol and drug misuse is common among the women supported by the POPPY project.

A brief history of Eaves

Eaves started life as Homeless Action in 1977, an independent charity providing housing for single homeless women in London. In 1997, it changed its name to Eaves Housing for Women and was by then an organisation that not only provided specialist supported housing for women with diverse needs, but one which also raised awareness of issues affecting women.

In 2003 it expanded further, adding two further projects to its operations - POPPY and Lilith, which works to improve services for women experiencing violence in London. In 2005, it developed its domestic violence services following the merger with Barking & Dagenham and Westminster Women's Aid and now manages 9 refuges across London.

Today Eaves provide:

• 66 bed spaces for women and children escaping domestic violence
• 130 bed spaces and support for single homeless women
• 25 bed spaces for trafficked women (with funding confirmed for a further 10 spaces)
• Research, development and lobbying work on issues of violence against women including: prostitution; trafficking; female genital mutilation; and domestic violence.