About Us
Bedfordshire Against Violence and Exploitation (BAVEX) is the partnership campaign supported by a variety of different agencies across Bedfordshire to raise awareness of the exploitation that takes place in the county.
The campaign particularly focuses on those forms of exploitation linked to organised crime.
This includes child criminal exploitation through county lines, child sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation through things like forced begging, shoplifting or money laundering, sexual exploitation in places like brothels, labour exploitation in different industries as well as the cuckooing of vulnerable people’s homes.
We have worked with a number of local groups and organisations to produce and publicise videos and graphics which raise awareness of these issues among our communities, encouraging people to come forward with any information and for potential victims to seek help.
These products are available on the Our Campaign section of our website
We are lucky to have the support of a wide range of different organisations, both statutory as well as charities.
This includes the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Bedford Borough Council, Central Bedfordshire Council, Luton Council, Bedfordshire Police, the Bedfordshire and Luton Clinical Commissioning Groups, the Bedfordshire Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit, Azalea, Crimestoppers, Link to Change, the Luton Homeless Partnership and the Modern Slavery Helpline.
The strategy is delivered by the Bedfordshire Exploitation Communications Group and overseen by the Bedfordshire Child Exploitation and Missing Strategic Group.
It feeds into a wider series of partnership groups and strategies across the county, such as the Bedfordshire Violence and Exploitation Reduction Strategy, Bedfordshire Anti Slavery Partnership, the Bedfordshire Organised Crime Group and County Lines Partnership Board and Luton Against Sexual Exploitation.
Our Partners
