Someone is in slavery if they are:
Human trafficking involves recruitment, harbouring or transporting people into a situation of exploitation through the use of violence, deception or coercion and forced to work against their will.
An estimated 40.3 million men, women, and children were victims of modern slavery on any given day in 2016 (International Labour Office & Walk Free Foundation, 2017). Of these, an estimated 24.9 million people were in forced labour and 15.4 million people were living in a forced marriage. The current Global Estimates do not cover all forms of modern slavery; for example, organ trafficking, child soldiers, or child marriage that could also constitute forced marriage are not able to be adequately measured at this time (Global Slavery Index, 2018).
The most current estimate of the scale of modern slavery in the UK was produced by the Home Office in 2014 (Home Office, 2017). The report suggests that there are 13,000 men, women and children known to have been trafficked into or in the UK, for:
(Anti-Slavery International, 2019)
The RCN's leaflet Modern Slavery Wheel identifies the key signs and what nursing staff should do if they suspect it is happening.
If you suspect that a person is a victim of slavery, this is a safeguarding issue.
You should trust and act on your professional instinct that something is not quite right. It is usually a combination of triggers, an inconsistent story and a pattern of symptoms that may cause you to suspect trafficking.
If you have any concerns about a child, young person or adult take immediate action to ask further questions and get additional information and support. It is important to remember that:
There are a number of steps you can take if you have identified someone is a victim of trafficking:
See the RCN resources for nurses designed to help recognise the signs and help direct people on what to do for those they suspect are victims of modern slavery:
You can call 08000 121 700 to get confidential help, report a suspicion or seek advice.
The 2018 Global Slavery Index provides a country by country ranking of the number of people in modern slavery, as well as an analysis of the actions governments are taking to respond, and the factors that make people vulnerable. The UK is ranked thus:
136,000 Estimated number of people living in modern slavery
2/1000 Estimated proportion of population living in modern slavery
11.13/100 Vulnerability to modern slavery