Displaying items by tag: law enforcement

Vaping among children and teenagers has almost doubled in two years. Experts blame the rise on social media. A survey by Action on Smoking on Health (Ash) showed 7% of 11- to 17-year-olds are vapers. They are being attracted to disposable e-cigarettes, in fruity flavours used by people on TikTok and Instagram. Over the past year, a new generation of disposable vapes known as ‘puff bars’, which contain nicotine, have come onto the market. While it is illegal to sell vapes to under-18s, social media carries posts from teenagers showing the new vapes and discussing the flavours, which include pink lemonade, mango and strawberry banana. The disposable popular vapes are brightly coloured, pocket-size, with sweet flavours and sweet names and cost under £5. Pray for more funding to enforce the law against underage sales. Pray for action against child-friendly packaging and labelling

18 October was Anti-Slavery Day. 40 million people are trapped in slavery worldwide, and have no one to protect them. In many places laws against slavery are not enforced by police, so slave owners and traffickers can prey on the poor and vulnerable without fear of consequences. According to a report, UK police don’t tackle modern slavery because cases are too difficult and senior officers believe the public lack sympathy for the victims. Sky news reported that 17 police forces held data on convictions for slavery; 1,265 slavery offences were reported but only 25 people were prosecuted. In the UK, slavery is not just a bad working condition. People are living under constant control and fear and facing daily physical, verbal and sexual abuse. They are trapped. The charity Hope for Justice described the current situation in the UK as ‘a human conveyor belt of slavery’. See also