Modern slavery and Human Trafficking
The term modern slavery covers a wide range of types of exploitation where people are used and treated in a terrible way for the benefit of others.
As a victim of modern slavery, you have your freedom taken away and you are controlled by someone else. You might be forced into working for very little pay, made to commit crimes or sexually exploited. Recent figures suggested that around 122,000 people could be in situations of modern slavery in the UK.
Human trafficking is part of modern slavery. This is when people are moved with the purpose of exploiting them. Sometimes people are brought into the country, tricked by the promise of work and a better life, but people can also be trafficked within the UK.
Some common types of exploitation linked to trafficking are:
- Sex trafficking – victims have to work as prostitutes, or in other areas of the sex industry such as pornography or escort agencies
- Forced labour – victims are threatened or physically forced to work and receive little or no pay. Commonly this might be working in fields, on a fishing boat, in car washes, nail bars or building sites
- County Lines – victims are used to sell and transport drugs
- Working as a servant – cooking, cleaning in a household, again for low pay or no pay and sometimes facing abuse
- Forced crime – begging, stealing or dealing drugs
- Organ harvesting – victims have organs, such as a kidney, removed from their body to be sold illegally
- Forced marriage – when you are pressured into a marriage that you do not consent to
What are the signs?
Victims of modern slavery and human trafficking are often tricked into believing that they are being offered a better life and do not realise how they will be treated.
It’s important to get help as soon as possible if you think you are being exploited, as the situation you find yourself in can quickly get much worse. You could be getting drawn into modern slavery if:
- You are getting paid to do jobs for someone, such as delivering packages and you are warned not to tell anyone about it
- Someone promises you gifts, such as expensive clothes, in return for working for them
- An older person befriends you or starts a relationship with you and starts to isolate you from your friends and family
- You are asked to carry a weapon
- You are asked to travel a long distance to deliver something, or meet someone you don’t know
- You experience violence or threats and have bruises or other injuries
- You are encouraged to use drugs
You might also be worried that someone else is a victim of modern slavery and if this is the case, you should report it. A victim of slavery might show some of these signs:
- Appearing frightened and reluctant to interact with others
- Having injuries
- Not having ID documents
- Having few personal possessions and wearing the same clothes all the time
- Having someone else with them at all times and not being allowed to speak for themselves
What could happen?
In all types of modern slavery, victims are treated with no regard for their wellbeing – they are seen simply as a means of benefiting the people who are exploiting them.
As a victim, you will often experience violence or threats of violence as a way of making you comply and your friends and family could also be targeted. You could also face sexual abuse, as you are seen as nothing more than an object to serve other people’s needs.
If you have received gifts, travel or accommodation, you might be told you have a debt and you need to work to pay it off. This can result in you working long hours in poor or dangerous conditions and receiving little or no payment.
Living conditions can be dirty and cramped and you might be exposed to drug use. You could become addicted to drugs or alcohol as a way of coping with your desperate situation – and this could make you even more dependent on the people who are exploiting you.
If you are forced into crime, such as stealing, violence or dealing drugs, you could be arrested and receive a criminal record. This could seriously affect your future opportunities, such as employment, travel and housing.