Find Help

If you or someone you know are looking to travel, work, or study abroad or even in your own country make sure that the opportunity is real. Contact an anti-trafficking organization and seek advice. Keep control of your future.

Check out some of the specific information here of how to stay safe.

If you’ve been offered the chance to travel/work/study abroad by a stranger, friend or relative, ask yourself the following:

  • Where are you going and why?
  • Who is paying for your journey? – If someone is offering to pay for you,find out why.
  • Is the offer too good to be true? If it sounds too good, it probably is!
  • Talk about it with friends, family and people who you trust. If they have doubts, find out why – maybe they are right.

Work Abroad

Here are some tips if you are planning to work abroad:

  • Make sure you check that the job is legitimate from independent sources before you agree to work. If you can’t, or you have to rely on one person, don’t go. You could be putting yourself at risk.
  • If you use an employment agency, again, check that it is real. Any legitimate agency will understand your concern and should have no problem proving it to you.
  • Don’t sign any job contract unless you’ve had it checked out by a professional, or someone you trust such as a parent or friend.
  • Make sure you get the correct visas for working. If someone is offering to get them for you, or says you don’t need them, be wary and find out why.

Study Abroad

Check this list of pointers before you set out to study:

  • Contact the university or college you’ve applied to and verify the course to make sure it’s real.
  • If you’ve arranged a course with an independent study agency, check to see if it exists through independent sources.
  • Make sure you have the appropriate visas before you travel. If you’re unsure of what you need, contact the embassy first.
  • Talk about your course with a teacher or parent. If you’re using an agency, take a trusted friend with you. If the agency doesn’t allow you to visit, don’t sign up for any course.
  • Try and talk to former students to check the course, and put your mind at rest.

Travel Advice

Here is a checklist of advice before you, or someone you know, goes.

  • Contact the embassy of the country you’re going to and check up on what visas you might need to live, work or study. If you have found the information yourself from an official source, no-one can tell you different.
  • Before you travel photocopy your passport and travel documents and leave them with someone you trust.
  • Leave contact numbers and addresses where you can be reached with a parent or friend.
  • Take the address and phone number of your embassy/consulate in your destination country, in case you should need them.
  • Don’t give your passport to anyone except customs officials or the police.

Contact an anti-trafficking organization before you go if you have any doubts.