Modern slavery

Modern slavery is when someone loses their freedom and is controlled and exploited by another person or people for personal or commercial gain. It is an umbrella term for many forms of slavery including but not exclusive to human trafficking.

Modern slavery can take many different forms, but usually includes tricking, threatening or physically forcing people either into work for little or no pay, committing crimes or sexually exploiting them all to profit the trafficker. 

Modern slavery is happening in every corner of the world, and every corner of the UK not just in big cities but also in small towns and even villages. 

It’s often hidden, rarely obvious and could be happening where you live. Demand for cheap goods, cheap labour and cheap sex has created the perfect storm for slavery and human trafficking. 

Many are hidden in plain sight which we could come into contact with someone trapped in slavery in our day to day lives without knowing it.

People you see in streets and shops, farms and factories, building sites and bars could living and working in appalling conditions, held against their will, often not with physical constraints but with violence and threats to them and their families.

Right now around 50 million men, women and children are in modern slavery, more than ever before in history*.

In the UK experts believe that 122,000 people are currently held in slave-like conditions. We estimate that for every person successfully rescued from the clutches of modern slavery and given the opportunity to receive support, at least seven more remain trapped and exploited.

Anyone could come into contact with a victim of modern slavery without even realising; however, there are some tell-tale signs.

Someone looks frightened, unkempt, malnourished or has untreated injuries. 

Someone else is paying for their travel; speaking for them; picking up and dropping them off from work at unusual times or they may not be sure of their own address. 

We encourage you to trust your instincts and if something doesn’t look or feel right then raise the alarm if you feel safe to do so. 

The Salvation Army has a 24/7 confidential referral advice line on 0800 808 3733 for anyone who suspects that they or someone they have come across might be a victim of modern slavery. If someone is in immediate danger call 999.

We have helped survivors from all kinds of backgrounds, but we have found that people in poverty or debt, or with mental health problems, or addiction problems are particularly vulnerable to being forced or tricked into slavery.

Modern slavery is not just something that happens to foreign nationals brought to the UK. Every year thousands of British victims, many of them children, are identified as victims of modern slavery and referred for support. 

Watch the video below where Dan talks about how at the age of 18 he was tricked by someone he thought he knew into dealing drugs. He was manipulated, beaten and his family threatened.