WHAT IS MODERN SLAVERY?
The London Anti-Slavery Working Group’s Adult Modern Slavery Protocol for Local Authorities helpfully explains the commonly used terminology: modern slavery, human trafficking, and exploitation. It is important to provide a common understanding for partners organisations involved in addressing these crimes.
Human trafficking
Defined by the Palermo Protocol, all three elements below are required for adult trafficking cases. The “means” is not required for child trafficking cases as a child cannot give informed consent.
1) The Act (Movement of people)
2) The Means (Coercive
behaviour)
3) The Purpose (Exploitation)
Modern Slavery
Defined by the Modern Slavery Act 2015, it encompasses human trafficking and all forms of exploitation.
2) The Means (Coercive
behaviour)
3) The Purpose (Exploitation)
1) THE ACT: Recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons
2) THE MEANS: threat or use of force, withholding documents, ritual oaths, finance control, debt
bondage, abduction, blackmail, abuse of power over a vulnerability, deception, “Stockholm syndrome”, grooming, restriction of movement, threat to friends or family, social stigma
3) THE PURPOSE: including but not limited to sexual exploitation, labour exploitation and bonded labour, domestic servitude, criminal exploitation, forced fraud, forced marriage and organ harvesting Trafficking people is a criminal offence. The fact that the adult consents to the intended exploitation is irrelevant where any of the means (above) have been used. Victims of modern slavery, exploitation and may be unwilling to come forward to law enforcement or public protection agencies, not seeing themselves as victims, or fearing further reprisals or death from their abusers against the themselves or family members. Victims may not always be recognised as such by those who come into contact with them.
The Modern Slavery Act 2015 places a duty on specified public authorities (including local
authorities) to report details of suspected cases of modern slavery to the National Crime Agency.
This is achieved through the National Referral Mechanism.
All professionals that meet adults in their everyday work need to be able to identify those adults who
may have been trafficked and be competent to act to support and protect the adult from harm. This guidance provides information on the types of slavery and exploitation that you should be aware of and the signs to look for. It also explains what to do if you are concerned that someone may be being exploited, trafficked or is the victim of slavery.
This guidance is supplementary to, and should be used in conjunction with, the latest edition of the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Adults procedures:
http://www.osab.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Procedure-summary.pdf
The National Referral Mechanism & The Salvation Army
The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the process by which an individual is identified as a
victim of modern slavery. Referrals to the NRM can only be made by authorised agencies known as First Responders. Authorised agencies in the UK are the police force, the UK Border Force, Home Office Immigration and Visas, social services and certain Non-Governmental Organisations
including The Salvation Army. The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is a framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery and ensuring they receive the appropriate support. Specialist support for victims of modern slavery is provided by The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army provides specialist support for all adult victims of modern slavery in England and Wales. Our
confidential Referral Helpline 0300 3038151 is available 24/7. Everyone the Salvation Army
support receives access to a wide range of specialist services to meet their individual needs
whether that is within a safehouse or through outreach support. This can include access to:
• confidential legal advice;
• health care;
• counselling; and
• educational opportunities
• financial support
• support in obtaining employment and housing
The Victims’ First Willow Project
The Thames Valley Wide
Exploitation & Complex Needs
Service working across the counties:
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire (inc Milton Keynes) and Oxfordshire, seeking to identify and support
those individuals who are assessed as having been victims of exploitation or who are deemed to
be at risk of exploitation through:
• Sexual Exploitation – those involved in prostitution or working in the commercial sex
industry; those manipulated or coerced into sexual activities of any kind for another
person’s gain; human trafficking for purpose of sexual exploitation; grooming;
• Modern Slavery – forced labour; domestic servitude; organ harvesting; child trafficking for
benefit fraud;
• Financial Exploitation – debt bondage; finances controlled by others; financial scams
• Criminal Exploitation – those manipulated or coerced or trafficked for the purpose of any
illegal activity i.e., County Lines/drug trafficking, forced shoplifting, forced begging.
• Other Exploitation – the taking over a person’s address for the purpose of any criminal
activity i.e., for drug dealing/using (known as “cuckooing”), prostitution or storing stolen
goods
As well as supporting victims of Modern Slavery, trafficking and exploitation the service will provide much-needed specialist support for victims of other forms of serious crime (excluding sexual and domestic abuse for whom specialist services already exist). They also see people who are potential victims who do not consent to an NRM referral.
The Victims First – Willow Project will work directly with victims and their families to provide:
• Crisis intervention
• Advocacy
• Longer term practical and emotional support
Common Types of Slavery and Exploitation
Domestic Servitude
This involves a victim being forced to work in private households, usually performing domestic chores and childcare duties. Their freedom may be restricted and they may work long hours frequently for little or no pay, often sleeping where they work. Nearly a quarter of reported victims of domestic servitude in the UK are children.
Forced labour victims may be forced to work long hours for little or no pay in poor conditions under verbal or physical threats of violence to them or their families. Force labour can occur in various industries, including construction; manufacturing, home improvement, gardening, hospitality; food packaging,
agriculture, maritime and beauty (e.g. nail bars).
Criminal exploitation
This is the exploitation of a person to commit a crime, such as robbery, shop-lifting, cannabis
cultivation, drug trafficking, etc.
Other Forms of Exploitation
Other forms of exploitation include sexual exploitation, organ removal, forced begging, forced
benefit fraud, forced marriage and illegal adoption.
Where could Slavery be happening?
Modern slavery is happening here and now and is under-reported. Commonly, slavery and
exploitation has been found in locations such as-
• Car washes
• Agricultural settings
• Nail bars
• Care homes
• Construction and building sites
• Factories
• Catering and hospitality
• Massage parlours
• Brothels
However, the alleged victims of this exploitation will be seen in many settings. They may seek or be taken for medical help if injured or unwell. They may live in accommodation rented for them such as houses of multiple occupancy. Some types of exploitation are hidden in domestic settings, such as
domestic servitude or cannabis cultivation, and may only be seen when there is a compelling reason
to visit the property concerned such as in the event of a fire.
Indicators of Modern Slavery Signs of many types of slavery and exploitation are often hidden, making it hard to recognise
potential victims. Victims can be any age, gender, ethnicity or nationality. This is a list of some of the general indicators:
Behaviour – withdrawn, unwilling to make eye contact, fear of engaging with authorities
• Appearance – unkempt, malnourished, few personal possessions, untreated injuries, lack of access to medical care
• Work – long hours, little or no pay, few or no days off, inappropriate clothing and/or
equipment for the job
• Debt bondage – in debt to, or dependant on someone else
• Accommodation – overcrowded, poorly maintained accommodation, curtains always drawn
• Control – restricted freedom of choice and/or movement, control over access to ID/travel
documents/bank account, always accompanied, deprived of water/food/sleep, limited
contact with family or friends
The 5 questions below may also help to identify a potential victim:
• Are you currently living a life that is what you expected and were told prior to coming to this
area?
• Do you know where your personal identity documents/passport are and can you access
them freely?
• If you no longer wanted to continue doing this job would you be able to leave and get
another job?
• Have you ever had threats made to you or against your family if you do not do what you are
told?
• Are you able to make contact with your family or friends?
Recent Examples of Slavery and Exploitation
In 2016, academic research indicated that there could be 2462 victims of Modern Slavery in the
Thames Valley. This could provide a more up to date figure?
(https://thamesvalley.s3.amazonaws.com/Documents/Victims/Calculating%20the%20extent%20of
%20modern%20slavery%20in%20Thames%20Valley%20(1).pdf)#
Vice and sex trade
Organised exploitation of vulnerable young women in the vice trade is prevalent everywhere. An
example of this is as follows;
The brutal physical, financial and mental abuse used by a gang to control 53 women trafficked
from Hungary and put to work in brothels in Eastbourne, Folkestone, Margate and Brighton. The
gang used private dwellings and even student accommodation in a University to ply their illegal
trade.
Crime and drugs
Some traffickers threaten and coerce their victims into committing crime, for example street crime,
burglary, rogue trading, handling drugs, bank or benefit fraud.
An example of this is as follows;
The number of cannabis farms found in people’s homes has risen dramatically. Police have found
more than 300 in 2014, a third more than 2009. Police say cannabis production is highly profitable
for organised crime gangs seeking to finance other crimes.
Children have been found in cannabis factories used as gardeners. They are often locked in and
forced to work in very unsafe environments as the people running the factories often drill huge
holes across the house to meet the cannabis plants’ extensive water and hot air needs.
Slavery and domestic servitude
The national press has reported many cases of people treated as forced labour or slaves in traveller
sites, nursing homes and private dwellings. Sometimes they have been held in servitude for years
or decades, with their belongings and identification documents removed.
An example of this is as follows;
The police raided three locations, including private properties and a travellers’ site. This led to a
number of people being convicted with slavery offences.
Forced labour
Some staff at cleaning, catering or care companies are ‘debt bonded’ and forced to work very long
hours for very low incomes while they attempt to pay off ever-increasing amounts they ‘owe’ their
traffickers for travel to the UK and living costs.
An example of this is as follows;
Care home owners were ordered to pay back £500,000 after illegally employing immigrant workers
on 90p an hour. A husband and wife team flew in 4 workers from Mauritius, then made them work
in their two care homes for up to 90 hours a week.
What action do I take if I identify a Possible Victim of Slavery or Trafficking?
If a professional becomes concerned that an individual is being exploited or is at risk of exploitation
then they should act immediately. Raise the issue with your line manager and they will be able to
provide you with some advice regarding your own agency’s/service’s procedures in this area.
Complete the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking checklist – this will help you in your
decision making and conversations with your line manager in terms of next steps. It is also helpful
for the Safeguarding Service when sending through a safeguarding alert and for contact with TVP.
If you believe the alleged victim to be a child you should make an immediate safeguarding referral
to the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), tel. 0345 050 7666. If in any doubt about age you
should always treat the victim as a child if there is any reason to think the victim might be over 18
years of age.
If the alleged victim is an adult with care and support needs you should complete the online adult
safeguarding alert (www.osab.co.uk/) identifying “modern slavery” as the abuse type which will be
sent to the Adult Safeguarding Team for consideration, or contact adult social care on 0345 050
7666 .
Consider whether you can have a conversation with the alleged victim in private. You should not
discuss your concerns with them other than in private. Other persons, including those they appear
to know or trust or who may claim to be family members, might be exploiting the suspected victimand discussing your concerns with them might put the victim or others at risk. When considering how to communicate with the alleged victim linked to language and ethnicity use the appropriate
interpreting services commissioned by your organisation.
Review the indicators of modern slavery and exploitation above and in annex 1 below and identify
why you consider the person to be at risk of exploitation or are concerned about them being
exploited. If you can have a private conversation with the alleged victim establish if they are willing to consent to a referral them to Thames Valley Police (TVP).
If they do not consent, seek advice from your manager or organisation’s safeguarding lead.
Generally, if you believe that there may be other alleged victims involved you should inform
TVP because of the wider duty of care to the other alleged victims.
If it is not possible to refer them to TVP and/or you are able to speak to the alleged victim in
private, ask their consent to refer them to the Victims’ First – Willow Project on Telephone 01844
487987 (0753 824 1045 out of hours) or email enquiries@vfwillowproject.org.uk.
Referrals to the Police should be made by calling 101. Only calls to 999 should be made if you
suspect immediate risk of harm.
What Should I Do If the Adult Lacks Mental Capacity To Consent To Be Referred To The
Police or NRM?
You should presume that an individual has capacity to consent to a referral to the Police or NRM. If there is a reasonable cause to be concerned that the person lacks capacity to make an informed decision (unable to use, retain or weigh up the information to consent to a referral), you should refer
to the Mental Capacity Act and follow the guidance regarding how the assess a person’s capacity.
https://intranet.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/group-content/mental-capacity-act-forms-and-policies
Generally, if you reasonably believe the person believe the person lacks capacity you must
inform TVP and make an on-line referral to Oxfordshire Adult Social Care in accordance with
local safeguarding adults’ policies. Professional’s duty to notify the Home Office of Potential Victims of Modern Slavery
From 1 November 2015, specified public authorities have a duty to notify the Secretary of State of
any individual identified in England and Wales as an alleged victim of slavery or human trafficking. This duty is intended to improve the identification of alleged victims and help build a more comprehensive picture of the nature and scale of modern slavery, to improve victim identification and the law enforcement response.
The “duty to notify” is set out in Section 52 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, and applies to the Police
and Councils at the time of publication of this guidance (additional public authorities can be added through regulations).
If an alleged victim is being referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) then the duty to notify the Secretary of State is fulfilled when making this referral. If the alleged victim is not being referred to the NRM then a separate notification should be made. Even if the person does not consent a MS1 referral must still be completed, but removing any information that identifies the individual. (The alleged victim should have the NRM referral clearly explained to them and sign the
form to indicate their consent here. If they do not consent, the form cannot be accepted into the
NRM and a duty to notify form (MS1) should be completed. You should also highlight that as they
are an alleged victim of crime the form will be shared with TVP. This does not mean the individual
is required to cooperate with TVP.
Guidance can be found on the Home Office website. The referral form is included in Annex 1 of this guidance.
If you refer the alleged victim to TVP you should discuss with the TVP who will notify the Secretary
of State.
Other Sources of Advice
The Modern Slavery Helpline number is
0844 7782406
The National Referral Mechanism 24/7 Salvation Army helpline number is
0300 303 8151
The Victim First Willow Project number is
0753 824 1045 or via e-mail at
enquiries@vfwillowproject.org.uk
The Oxfordshire Safeguarding Adults Team advice line is
01865 328232
There is an advice leaflet for the alleged victim which is available in different languages and can
help you reassure the alleged victim about what help is available:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-victims-of-human-trafficking.
