MODERN SLAVERY - Slavery is closer than you think

Slavery is not an issue confined to history or an issue that only exists in certain countries - it is something that is still happening today. It is a global problem and the UK is no exception.\

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 states that

“No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.”

It’s a growing issue, affecting men, women and children.

Modern Slavery is an international crime, affecting an estimated 29.8 million slaves around the world**. It is a global problem that transcends age, gender and ethnicities, including here in the UK and it’s important that we bring this hidden crime into the open.

It can include victims that have been brought from overseas, and vulnerable people in the UK, being forced to illegally work against their will in many different sectors, including brothels, cannabis farms, nail bars and agriculture.

SLAVERY TYPES AND WHO IS AFFECTED

Victims found in the UK come from many different countries, including Romania, Albania, Nigeria, Vietnam and the UK itself, 90 were UK nationals in 2013.

Poverty, limited opportunities at home, lack of education, unstable social and political conditions, economic imbalances and war are some of the key drivers that contribute to trafficking of victims. What’s more victims can often face more than one type of abuse and slavery, for example if they are sold to another trafficker and then forced into another form of exploitation.

TYPES OF SLAVERY INCLUDE

CHILD TRAFFICKING
Young people (under 18) are moved either internationally or domestically so they can be exploited.

FORCED LABOUR/DEBT BONDAGE
Victims are forced to work to pay off debts that realistically they never will be able to. Low wages and increased debts mean not only that they cannot ever hope to pay off the loan, but the debt may be passed down to their children.

FORCED LABOUR
Victims are forced to work against their will, often working very long hours for little or no pay in dire conditions under verbal or physical threats of violence to them or their families. It can happen in many sectors of our economy, from mining to tarmacking, hospitality and food packaging.

SEXUAL EXPLOITATION
Victims are forced to perform non-consensual or abusive sexual acts against their will, such as prostitution, escort work and pornography. Whilst women and children make up the majority of victims, men can also be affected. Adults are coerced often under the threat of force, or another penalty.

CRIMINAL EXPLOITATION
Often controlled and maltreated, victims are forced into crimes such as cannabis cultivation or pick pocketing against their will.

DOMESTIC SERVITUDE
Victims are forced to carry out housework and domestic chores in private households with little or no pay, restricted movement, very limited or no free time and minimal privacy often sleeping where they work.

THERE IS NO ONE FACE OF MODERN SLAVERY

There is no typical victim of slavery – victims can be men, women and children of all ages and cut across the population. But it is normally more prevalent amongst the most vulnerable, minority or socially excluded groups.

Source: https://modernslavery.co.uk/who.html