1. Modern-day slavery
Joan Garrod
Hodder & Stoughton © 2018

2. Modern-day slavery
What is meant by ‘modern-day slavery’ (sometimes known as ‘human trafficking’)? The United Nations defines it as follows: The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, or receipt of persons by improper means (such as force, abduction, fraud or coercion) for an improper purpose including forced labour or sexual exploitation. Modern-day slavery takes many forms, including domestic servitude, forced labour, child labour, sex trafficking, forced marriage and bonded labour.
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3. Modern-day slavery
What is ‘bonded labour’? Bonded labour refers to situations in which someone is forced to work to pay off a debt, and is unable to leave until the debt has been paid off. It is the most common form of slavery in the world, and is designed to exploit workers. It starts with a debt, either incurred or inherited, which the person is unable to pay immediately. While the worker works, often under brutal conditions, to pay off the debt, the employer adds additional expenses, such as for food and lodging. The debt continues to grow, and is often impossible to repay. Such debts are sometimes passed down from generation to generation. It is most common in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
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4. Modern-day slavery
How many people are thought to be enslaved? The Global Slavery Index estimates that there are 40.3 million slaves in 167 countries, despite most countries having laws prohibiting the practice. Of the 40.3 million, 24.9 million are in forced labour, and 15.4 in forced marriage. Fifty-eight percent of all enslaved people are found in just five countries — India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan. It is notable that most of these countries provide the low-cost labour that produces consumer goods for Western Europe, North America, Japan and Australia.
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5. Types of modern slavery
Source: Labour Exploitation
Globalcause.co.uk
December 2017
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6. Child labour Child labour is defined as work that is:
Performed by children who are too young
Demands too many hours
Puts health, integrity and wellbeing at risk
Denies the right to education
Denies access to healthy childhood play
It is estimated that over 15 million children worldwide are the victims of child labour, and nearly one third of these are outside the education system.
Boys
87,521,000
Girls
64,100,000
Source: Labour Exploitation Globalcause.co.uk
December 2017
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7. Slavery in the UK
The British government estimates that tens of thousands of people are in slavery in the UK today. While most people are trafficked from abroad, a significant number of British nationals are also being kept in slavery. Most people are trafficked into forced labour in industries such as agriculture, construction, hospitality, manufacturing and car washes. Women and girls are forced into sexual exploitation. Many people, again mostly women and girls, end up in domestic slavery. Other people, particularly children, are forced into crime, such as cannabis production, petty theft or begging. In 2009 the government set up the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), to which potential cases are referred, and through which victims can access relevant support.
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8. The Modern Slavery Act 2015
It was found that the NRM legislation wasn’t fit for purpose, which led to the passing of the Modern Slavery Act This Act:
makes prosecuting the traffickers easier by consolidating the existing slavery offences
increases sentences for slavery offences
bans prosecuting victims of slavery for crimes they were forced to commit by their traffickers, such as drug production or petty thefts
introduces child trafficking advocates to better protect trafficked children
makes big UK businesses publically report on how they tackle slavery in their global supply chains
establishes an independent anti-slavery commissioner to overlook the UK’s policies to tackle slavery
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9. The UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery 2017
This was published in October 2017, and acknowledges that estimating the true number of those in slavery in the UK is extremely difficult. However, one measure is of those potential victims who are referred to the NRM. The number of referrals has increased every year since the NRM was introduced in 2009, though this may be at least partly because of increased awareness.
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10. The UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery 2017
Where do potential victims of modern slavery in the UK come from? In 2016, the most common country of origin was Albania.
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11. The UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery 2017
However, with regard to child victims, the most common country of origin was the UK.
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