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Businesses of all sizes are complicit in modern slavery and must do more to confront this evil

The next time you’re having your nails done or your car washed, look around you; watch for bruises and exhaustion in employees, look out for sleeping bags in the corner

Wednesday 24 April 2019 12:58 BST

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Bangladesh to try 18 people for Rana Plaza collapse

Six years ago to this very day, a group of concerned and angry workers outside a building housing garment factories in Dhaka, Bangladesh, summoned up the courage to go and face their managers about the scarily hazardous conditions they were forced to work under to make the latest fashion items for western brands like Benetton and Primark. They were told in no uncertain terms to get to work or lose a month’s pay. They had no choice but to get to work.

Just one hour later, the eight-storey Rana Plaza collapsed on itself, its weak structures no longer able to carry the generators illegally placed on its roof to avoid the frequent power cuts disrupting workflow. They brought down the entire rickety building floor by floor taking thousands of workers with them. The final death toll was 1,134 with a further 2,500 injured.

Modern slavery is not just a developing world problem. It is a problem largely driven and largely sustained by us in the west. And modern slavery is not just a problem created by multinationals that are seeking to maximise their profits, whatever the cost. They do it because we, as customers, want them to keep up with our insatiable appetites. In the retail world, “fast fashion” means demand for more and more clothes that get discarded quicker than ever which in turn means that factory owners have to find ever newer ways of keeping up.

Increasingly in the west it’s businesses that are being held to scrutiny for having driven practices we have in the past simply turned a blind eye to. This is coming through employee activism – people not wanting to work for a company perpetuates these barbaric standards – but also from the rise of the ethical millennial consumer. We’ve yet to see much evidence of shareholder revolts over the matter but businesses tend to respond when competitors gain competitive advantage.

Modern Slavery in the UK

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1/13Modern Slavery in the UK

Modern Slavery in the UK

NCA has launched a touring photographic exhibition which aims to portray the signs of slavery and exploitation. Entitled ‘Invisible People’, the exhibition will tour the country as part of the National Crime Agency’s campaign to raise awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking.

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Child trafficking

Child trafficking for sexual exploitation Traffickers use grooming techniques to gain the trust of a child, family or community. The children are recruited, transported and then sold for sex, often returning to their homes immediately afterwards, only to be picked up by the same people again. This is happening here in the UK, to migrant and British-born children. Spot the signs of child trafficking: Often, children won’t be sure which country, city or town they’re in. They may be orphaned or living apart from their family, in unregulated private foster care, or in substandard accommodation. They may possess unaccounted-for money or goods or repeatedly have new, unexplained injuries.

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Agriculture

Some workers in the farming sector, harvesting grains or root vegetables, tending livestock or fruit picking, are being exploited every day in the UK. Victims of this crime in the agricultural sector are often Eastern European men and women, who were promised a job by traffickers, or they could be individuals on the fringes of society, homeless or destitute. Through threats, violence, coercion or forced drug and alcohol dependency, they’re enslaved, working for little or no money, living in squalid conditions having had their identity documents taken from them. Spot the signs of exploitative labour in agriculture: Agricultural slaves often have their wages paid into the same bank account, meaning an illegal gangmaster is likely collecting all their wages. Exploited agriculture workers often don’t have suitable protective equipment, working instead in cheap sports clothing and trainers, and don’t have a different change of clothes from day-to-day.

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Food processing

Polish or Slovakian men are brought to the UK with the offer of employment and, after arrival, gangmasters seize documents, opening multiple bank and utility accounts in their names – but refuse to handover access to the accounts or bank cards. Hours are long and the work is gruelling and dangerous. Workers are abused and are controlled by threats of harm to their families at home. Spot the signs: Those exploited wear inappropriate clothes and often no safety gear – despite working with dangerous and life-threatening equipment. They may often have untreated injuries and be refused medical attention, and will live and work in agricultural outhouses.

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Construction

Labour-intensive sectors like construction, where temporary and irregular work are common, are high-risk sectors for forced labour. With new homes, offices and buildings being constructed or upgraded in great quantity, labour exploitation is the second most common type of modern slavery, after sexual exploitation. Spot the signs of exploitative labour in construction: Exploited workers are often not provided with protective clothing or equipment, and may show signs of abuse or carry old untreated injuries. Slave workers are also likely to work extremely long work hours for six or seven days a week without any leave. Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: “I wanted this image to communicate that despite being forced to live, eat, wash and sleep – where they’re working, in cramped and unhygienic conditions, that there is a human instinct to domesticate. I wanted to show how there is still hope and dignity in the most squalid and difficult of circumstances.”

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Maritime

In the tough maritime industry young men, often Filipino or Indian, Eastern European or African, are promised a better life, but instead find themselves in a cycle of debt and exploitation. Unable to read, they are offered a job, given papers to sign and begin working on a trial-basis, only to be told they have failed and owe money, and have to work more to settle the debt. They may be forced to work for long hours in intense, hazardous and difficult conditions. Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: “In the 80s, Chris Killip published a series of images called In Flagrante, and these images were at the forefront of my mind while composing this shot. I wanted to show the utter desperation of these men - how passed their limit they are. The broken floats and the entire decaying environment around him, I saw as a metaphor for his existence.”

Rory Carnegie/National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Forced prostitution

Each year, women from across Eastern Europe and West Africa are lured to the UK by the dream of a better life. Whether by fake migration services or unscrupulous individuals who befriend and then betray them, women fall into a dark spiral of sexual exploitation and forced, unpaid prostitution, unable to escape. Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: “What I really wanted for this image, was to depict how women are used as commodities, the complete control slavery has over them – the helplessness of having to sit and wait for man after man, until no more men arrive. I wanted the image to show how lonely and eventually numbing that experience is, and for that ugliness to be contrasted against the bright blue of the wig – a fancy dress item that we would usually associate with a fun event – but here is used as a disguise, perhaps of her own identity to herself - to further emphasise how unjust the situation is.”

NCA

Modern Slavery in the UK

Cannabis farming

The cannabis industry hides a dark secret in the house next door. Gangs bring young boys to the UK from countries like Vietnam and deliver them to a house where, once in, they won’t be able to leave. Forced to tend cannabis plants that fill specially rigged houses, the boys are often locked in and forced to work, sleep and eat in one confined and dirty room. The chemicals used on the cannabis are poisonous, and often victims don’t know where they are or how to get help if they do escape. The eyes, ears and compassion of the local community are essential. Spot the signs: Aside from the strong and prolonged smell of cannabis, have you noticed a house that looks unusual? Are the windows covered or usual entry points blocked? Buildings might be over-heated – in very cold weather is the roof without frost, because the house is being kept warm to grow plants

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Agriculture

Some workers in the farming sector, harvesting grains or root vegetables, tending livestock or fruit picking, are being exploited every day in the UK. Victims of this crime in the agricultural sector are often Eastern European men and women, who were promised a job by traffickers, or they could be individuals on the fringes of society, homeless or destitute. Through threats, violence, coercion or forced drug and alcohol dependency, they’re enslaved, working for little or no money, living in squalid conditions having had their identity documents taken from them. Spot the signs of exploitative labour in agriculture: Agricultural slaves often have their wages paid into the same bank account, meaning an illegal gangmaster is likely collecting all their wages. Exploited agriculture workers often don’t have suitable protective equipment, working instead in cheap sports clothing and trainers, and don’t have a different change of clothes from day-to-day

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Forced prostitution

Spot the signs of forced prostitution: Victims of this type of crime might appear withdrawn or scared, avoid eye contact, and be untrusting. Poor English language skills could indicate exploitation because it suggests someone else must be arranging the work. A brothel is likely to be an average house on a normal looking street, but may have curtains which are usually closed and many different men coming and going frequently.

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Maritime

Spot the signs of exploitative labour in the maritime sector: Victims might appear withdrawn or frightened, often unable to answer questions directed at them or speak for themselves,. They might be afraid of authorities like police, immigration or the tax office, and may perceive themselves to be in debt to someone else. They may not have been given proper protective equipment so can suffer illness or injury. Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: “Throughout the series of images, I wanted to juxtapose the harshness of the lives of slaves against bright primary colours – colours we traditionally associate with happiness or a feeling of wellbeing – to provoke a reaction. The image, as rich as it is, communicates how completely uncomfortable this person is. I wanted to show how his body is not his own, and how he has no right to avoid hardship, avoid the ice, or wear better shoes, he is utterly controlled.”

Rory Carnegie/National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Food processing

Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: “This image communicates utter exhaustion and dejection. We can see how dire his situation is. He has no protective gear on, and we can see the extreme tiredness that leads him to a place of anxiety and distraction, where he doesn’t care about whether he’s operating machinery safely, or putting himself at risk.”

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

The exhibition comprises a series of large, freestanding cubes displaying images capturing snapshots of life within different types of modern slavery - in agriculture, construction, maritime, cannabis farming and food processing, child trafficking for sexual exploitation and forced prostitution. Each image comes with written commentary describing what the viewer is seeing, and information about signs which may indicate someone is a victim.

National Crime Agency

At Thomson Reuters, Monique Villa has initiated a Stop Slavery Awards programme through the company’s foundation which celebrates those businesses that have rigorously interrogated their supply chains and taken action when they have found them to be lacking.

But modern slavery is by no means just a matter of sweat shops in developing countries. There are approximately 13,000 known cases of people living under modern slavery conditions here in the UK that we are aware of which of course means the real number will be significantly higher.

The main routes are from Nigeria (domestic and sex workers), Vietnam (nail shops) and Albania (car washing). I recently became high sheriff of Greater London and this will be a core focus of my year in office as the majority of human trafficking and modern slavery practices are conducted in the capital.

Organisations like the Human Trafficking Foundation are working with the Metropolitan Police and local authorities to help them detect where it is taking place, often in homes and businesses in our neighbourhoods.

The Modern Slavery Act was introduced in 2015, making it easier to prosecute traffickers and to not prosecute victims of slavery for crimes they were forced to commit. It also commits big businesses to report how they are tackling the problem in their supply chain. The legislation is currently under review and Baroness Lola Young is among the many parliamentarians seeking to give it more teeth.

So far little has been done to engage SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) in this conversation and that needs to change. It’s of course easier said than done but the process of engagement has to start as businesses often need persistent nagging to behave better. A decade ago, I attended a Business in the Community conference on climate change and the role we all had to play. We were all asked to sign a pledge by the Prince of Wales and so we did and then later read what the pledge obliged us to do, the main component of which was to ask ten companies in our supply chain what they would do to reduce their carbon emissions. I wrote to 10 of our suppliers and not one of them replied.

But today, in a world where Greta Thunberg walks into parliament and takes down MPs for failing to act earlier on the environment and where retailers risk losing customers if they have no plan for eliminating single use plastic, we see that it takes a movement of noises over time to drive change.

Public-facing SMEs often see human trafficking and modern slavery as phenomena that affect other businesses and not theirs. It will require more than employee activism to trigger action on this front. It will need consumer activism and the threat of shopping elsewhere.

In the meantime, the next time you’re having your nails done or your car washed, look around you. Watch for bruises and exhaustion in employees, look out for sleeping bags in the corner and if you see anything suspicious around you, there are numbers to call like The Salvation Army’s response unit.

Businesses of all sizes are likely to be complicit in such evil. We need to be better held to account if we’re not confronting it.

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