Modern Slavery
Last Updated October 16th 2019
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From the Irish Times of June 16th 2020
County-lines gangs fuelling' child slavery rise
There has been an eightfold increase in the number of child victims of modern slavery referred by local councils in England for support. National Crime Agency figures reveal the number of children earmarked for help grew from 127 in 2014 to 1,152 last year - an increase of 807%. More here
British nationals most likely modern slavery victims as drug gangs recruit children and vulnerable adults
British nationals are ranked the most likely victims of modern slavery and human trafficking in Nottinghamshire as organised gangs recruit kids and vulnerable adults to run their drug empires. More here
Boon, not burden: more support for ex-slaves seen boosting UK economy
The financial benefits of providing 12 months of assistance to people who are recognised by the government as victims would far outweigh the costs.
LONDON, July 17 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Giving more support to survivors of modern slavery and allowing them to remain in Britain for a year could boost the economy by millions of pounds, university researchers said on Wednesday. More here
‘Sex and cheap labour’ most widespread reasons for human trafficking in EU
Sex trafficking is by far the most widespread form of trafficking in EU Member States, followed by forced labour, according to a new EU report.
A study on human trafficking requested by the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, found that women and girls, particularly those coming from Africa, were most at risk. More here
After a year, Jessica finally reported her case of modern-slavery to the police. She and her son were transferred to various safe houses before arriving at Medaille Trust’s family project in London. There, Jessica was able to receive a range of much-needed support such as finding a job, a new home, re-integrating her son back into education, and re-learning parenting skills after her trauma saw her spiral into heavy drinking. More here
August
Last year almost 7,000 potential #modernslavery #victims were identified in the UK. The statistics are truly sobering. Take a look at our infographic to find out more.
Organised crime gangs renting expensive properties to house modern slavery victims
The organised gangs are also operating illegal call centres
Cheshire police are appealing for landlords, letting agents and local residents to help root out organised crime gangs (OCGs).
Over the past few months, officers have received intelligence to suggest that the gangs have been renting large high value properties in rural areas to house modern slavery victims.
And in some cases the properties have also been used as illegal call centres, where fraudsters target vulnerable residents and defraud them out of thousands of pounds. More here
Survivors of modern slavery have their voices heard in new collection
The world’s largest online archive of modern slavery survivor testimonies has been launched by experts from the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham.
The VOICES database, which currently houses thousands of stories including an initial 800 that are publicly available, is the world's first and largest collection of survivor testimonies, in their own words. Its development was supported by the AHRC grant 'The Antislavery Usable Past' led at Nottingham. More here
Enslaved on a British cannabis farm: ‘The plants were more valuable than my life’
Minh was 16 when he was kidnapped, raped and trafficked to the UK, and then locked up and forced to grow cannabis. But when the police found him, he was treated like a criminal rather than a victim. By Annie Kelly
More from this series: Exploitation in focus
Coronation Street's Alina storyline sparks new campaign to raise awareness of modern slavery
Coronation Street has announced its partnership with The Salvation Army as Alina Pop's modern slavery storyline begins to unfold.
This story is currently unfolding.
Are your tinned tomatoes picked by slave labour?
On 6 August last year, 14 immigrant farmhands in Foggia, on the ankle of the Italian boot, were coming home from a 12-hour shift picking tomatoes in 40C heat. The minibus carrying them was registered in Bulgaria; the driver didn’t have a licence or insurance. The seats inside were wooden planks, and it was so crowded that passengers couldn’t even see out. The vehicle was travelling at speed when it collided head-on with a truck loaded with tomatoes.
After the crash, you could see contorted limbs through the smashed windows. The entire front third of the vehicle was concertinaed and the roof was ripped open. Bags and clothing spilled out on to the road, and there were large patches of blood on the asphalt. Twelve of the 14 labourers died.............More here
June 4th
The sanctuary for teenage sex slaves under siege by Romania's trafficking gangs
As Maria stepped through the door of her new apartment in Italy with her fiancé, she believed she was crossing into an exciting new life that her Romanian village could never provide. But after putting down her suitcase, she was presented with a bill for every gift, restaurant dinner and holiday bought during their courtship and told to settle the debt through prostitution.
When she cracked up laughing, the “fiancé” beat her, tore up her clothes and urinated on her. More here
Fast fashion is on the rampage, with the UK at the head of the charge
One in three young women in Britain consider a garment worn once or twice to be old
The UK’s contribution is enormous. Not only did we invent fast fashion, but our fashion consumers are among the most voracious in the world. One in three young women, the biggest segment of consumers, consider garments worn once or twice to be old. UK consumers sent 300,000 tonnes of textiles to be burned or dumped in landfill in 2018. More here
June 4th 2019
Nestle Says Requirement to Report Use of Slave Labor Would Cost Consumers More Money
While the Free Thought Project often reports on the megacorp Nestle and their rampant abuse and exploitation of drinking water supplies across the nation, few are aware that the company has been found using slave labor. What’s more, as governments across the world attempt to crack down the use of slave labor by requiring companies to report on its use, Nestle is fighting it, saying that it will end up costing consumers at the register. More here
April 13th
British drivers uncovered almost 1,000 potential cases of modern slavery at car washes in five months using the "Safe Car Wash App" yet less than a fifth called the anti-slavery helpline to report their concerns, the creators of the app said on Sunday.
The free mobile phone app was launched by the Church of England and the Catholic Church in England and Wales last June amid growing concerns that some of the estimated 18,000 hand car washes operating around the country are exploiting workers. More here
March 30th 2019
How many slaves are there today, and who are they?
Experts have calculated that roughly 13 million people were captured and sold as slaves between the 15th and 19th centuries; today, an estimated 40.3 million people – more than three times the figure during the transatlantic slave trade – are living in some form of modern slavery, according to the latest figures published by the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Walk Free Foundation. More here
March 30th 2019
Want to help survivors of child sex trafficking? Stop using these terms
- Child Pornography
- Child Prostitution
- Child Sex Tourism
More here (There is almost an implication that the child was somehow willingly participating when we hear the phrases above.)
Modern Slavery in Context
- Modern slavery has been found to exist in 167 countries around the world
- 19 million forced labor victims are exploited by enterprises or private individuals (International Labour Organisation ILO)
- Profits of 150 billion USD are generated yearly from modern slavery(ILO)
- The estimated number of people in modern slavery globally is 35.8million: equivalent to the population of Canada and only 10 countries account for 71% (Global slavery index)
- Among the 168 million child laborers in 2012, 85 million were engaged in hazardous work conditions
- In December 2014. the department of labor in the U.S listed 136 goods produced by forced labor or child labor in violation of international standards in 74 countries
- International Forced Labor Convention, 1930 (No. 29) not ratified by China, South-Korea and Afghanistan
- Manufacturing , agriculture, construction, manufacturing and entertainment are among the sectors most concerned(ILO)
- In absolute terms, the countries with the highest number of people in modern slavery are: India, China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Thailand
- The governments that are taking the most action to end modern slavery are: Netherlands, Sweden, United States, Australia, Switzerland, Ireland, Norway, Georgia, Austria and the United Kingdom
Victim Support Bill
“I support the proposal that the Government should adopt the Modern Slavery (Victim Support) Bill. Mention was made of the proposal to extend the move-on period from 14 days to 45 days. At the moment, that period is inadequate. It does not give people time to establish stable building blocks for their future. It is not long enough for non-UK nationals to apply for and be granted discretionary leave to remain, which gives victims access to housing benefit and other services. Extending that period to 12 months and offering victims accommodation and financial and other support, according to their needs, would enable victims to establish much more secure futures.” – Fiona Bruce MP (Con).
Because of the short period of time allocated to a "victim of modern slavery" to adjust and to settle into a safer, more normalised existence in the UK it has meant that many of those rescued from Modern Slavery often find themselves back in the cluctches of the gangmaster. More here
And from the Guardian:
A year after peers overwhelmingly supported a bill to improve care for victims of modern slavery, we wonder how many victims have become homeless or re-trafficked in that time. Conservative peer Lord McColl of Dulwich’s modern slavery (victim support) bill seeks to fill the gaps through which too many victims fall, with many becoming homeless and at risk of repeated exploitation. The bill would also give victims the stability they need to assist with prosecutions, greatly increasing the chance of more traffickers being convicted. More here
What is the UK Modern Slavery Act ?
The UK modern slavery act is one of the most far reaching pieces of legislation in the world addressing issues of modern slavery. It consolidates current slavery and human trafficking offences, and introduces new preventive measures, support systems and a regulatory body. The modern slavery act includes new measures including trafficking reparation orders which encourage to use seized assets to compensate victims and prevention orders to ensure that those who pose a risk of commiting modern slavery offences cannot work in relevant fields, such as with children and gangmasters
The UK modern slavery act states that company must publish an annual statement if it has sales of more than £36 million and if some or all of its business is in the UK .It must confirm the steps taken to ensure slavery and human trafficking are absent from the business and supply chain or they must declare that no steps have been taken. This is in response to the global concern in growth of modern slavery globally as the ILO estimates that 21 million people in the world are victims of forced labor, a number that is driven by profits of USD 150 billion generated every year with this in practice. 44% of victims of slavery are transported across international borders due to geographic integrations of markets.
The Modern Slavery Act in the UK (we await a day for the second reading in the House of Commons.
Who will be impacted?
The UK modern slavery act will impact over 12,000 companies and their UK and international supply chains. Many companies are already working on their statements to ensure that they are in place for their next annual reporting cycle. Your business has to comply if it meets the two criteria; Global turnover of over £36mn and carries on a business or part of a business, in any part of the United Kingdom.
These rules apply to public and private companies, and partnerships, wherever they are incorporated or formed and in whatever sector they operate. Some more details regarding the scope of companies targeted by the law (i.e. turnover thresholds) are currently under regulatory review and are expected at a later date.
However, as currently written, the UK modern slavery act indicates that most large commercial entities, not limited to the retail and manufacturing sectors as required by its California counterpart, will be required to report. Publicly listed companies already meeting reporting requirements for the UK Companies Act 2006 will be able to report on their due diligence efforts in their existing disclosures, while as of yet, no details have been provided regarding private companies.