UK has 100,000 modern slaves but most go undetected, study says

[snoop1130]

UK has 100,000 modern slaves but most go undetected, study says

By Kieran Guilbert

 

Pedestrians walk along the Southbank in view of skyscrapers in the financial district in London, Britain February 17, 2020. REUTERS/Simon Dawson - RC2H2F9CINW2

 

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Britain is home to at least 100,000 modern slaves according to a new study, 10 times more than the official estimate, as activists warned 90% of victims may be going undetected.

 

Anti-slavery charity Justice and Care and think tank The Centre for Social Justice said the real number could be even higher, and warned that the coronavirus pandemic was likely to push more people into forced labour at car washes and brothels.

 

The study comes in the wake of media and campaigner reports that online fashion firm Boohoo's suppliers underpaid garment workers in Leicester, central England, and failed to protect them from COVID-19. Boohoo last week said it was investigating.

 

Justice and Care said political leadership to tackle modern slavery had waned in recent years, and that a landmark 2015 anti-slavery law may have created a "false sense of security".

 

"Whilst Britain has made progress fighting modern slavery, not least in the passing of the Modern Slavery Act five years ago, so much more work is needed to combat the issue," the charity's chief executive, Christian Guy, said in a statement.

 

The world-first law has been subjected to reviews following criticism that it is not being used fully to jail traffickers, drive companies to tackle forced labour, or help enough victims.

 

"Ninety percent of victims may be going undetected and thousands of traffickers are running riot," Guy added.

 

A record 10,627 suspected victims were identified last year in Britain - up 52% from 2018. Most were victims of labour abuse and many came from nations such as Albania, Nigeria and Vietnam.

 

GOVERNMENT 'JUST GETTING STARTED'

 

Britain's home secretary (interior minister) Priti Patel said her department would look closely at the report's findings.

 

"While the Modern Slavery Act was ground-breaking in tackling this heinous crime, we are just getting started in the fight to rid this evil from the United Kingdom," Patel said.

 

Government research in 2018 said the crime sets Britain back by up to 4.3 billion pounds ($5.6 billion) annually, based on an earlier estimate of 10,000 - 13,000 slaves living in the nation.

 

The charity and the think tank said the government needed to update its estimate, and the cost of the crime to the taxpayer.

 

The study arrived at its 100,000 estimate by taking police statistics from one area of Britain - the West Midlands - that predicted the number of victims locally using a new artificial intelligence model, and extrapolating that data nationwide.

 

Academics at Nottingham University's Rights Lab, the world's first large-scale research platform on slavery, said the study offered a "very exciting and new way" to measure the problem.

 

"It is very difficult to estimate the size of a hidden population and this report potentially provides a new part of the anti-slavery measurement toolkit," Zoe Trodd, director of the Rights Lab, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by email.

 

The 2018 Global Slavery Index by the Walk Free Foundation put the number of slaves in Britain at 136,000, and 40.3 million globally. But the methodology has been widely questioned and criticised by several activists and academics in the field.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-07-14

 

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[welovesundaysatspace]

Same for other countries. Look at Germany’s meat industry. Modern day slaves from Eastern Europe so that the riff-raff can have their 1€ steaks. Disgusting. 
 

 

 

Edited July 14, 2020 by welovesundaysatspace

[Mavideol]

and a week or so ago BJ girl friend was finger pointing at Thailand claiming monkey labor abuse.... old saying "" people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones""

[lungbing]

I dont think modern day slavery goes undetected, it's that the authorities are terrified of being called 'racist' if they do anything about it.

[4737 Carlin]

Celebrate the diversity.

[Peterphuket]

If you'll have to work for your mortgage, car, family, and to pay your tax, then we are all modern day slaves.

What else?

Edited July 15, 2020 by Peterphuket

[simple1]

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

"While the Modern Slavery Act was ground-breaking in tackling this heinous crime, we are just getting started in the fight to rid this evil from the United Kingdom," Patel said.

What a pathetic response - the Minister should resign

[ravip]

17 hours ago, Mavideol said:

and a week or so ago BJ girl friend was finger pointing at Thailand claiming monkey labor abuse.... old saying "" people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones""

Absolutely true. Agree 100%.

The very people who point a finger at another, does worse things that they themselves 'justify'!

 

[simple1]

15 hours ago, lungbing said:

I dont think modern day slavery goes undetected, it's that the authorities are terrified of being called 'racist' if they do anything about it.

Are you trying to say 'whites' in the UK don't commit the OP type of crime?

 

cps.gov.uk/west-midlands/news/secures-convictions-largest-ever-modern-slavery-prosecution

[UnkleGoooose]

Leicester is full of sweatshops simply imported from the home countries of our wonderful guests. The authorities turn a blind eye as they don't want to upset that particular demographic. This allows us all to continue to bask in the glory that is cultural enrichment.

[Orton Rd]

6 minutes ago, UnkleGoooose said:

Leicester is full of sweatshops simply imported from the home countries of our wonderful guests. The authorities turn a blind eye as they don't want to upset that particular demographic. This allows us all to continue to bask in the glory that is cultural enrichment.

Lived in that area of Spinney Hills, about 90% Muslim Pakistani and a place where the Police are not active unless there is a major incident, they run the place themselves. Thousands of illegals working for slave wages, abused kids, benefits fiddling, gross tax evasion, drug importation and ignoring of planning permission and health and safety laws. Diversity was Leicester's destruction, on the plus side there are more restaurants, corner shops and the schoolgirls are kept off the streets!

[sawadee1947]

19 hours ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

Same for other countries. Look at Germany’s meat industry. Modern day slaves from Eastern Europe so that the riff-raff can have their 1€ steaks. Disgusting. 
 

 

 

Well, British history is always connected to slavery, whereas those who work in German meat industry come as EU citizen and will receive full Social Welfare just in case. 

 

[BritManToo]

Would point out with Zero hour hour contracts and no company pensions, about 50% of the UK labour force appear to be slaves of some sort.

[CorpusChristie]

There is a difference between slavery and getting a low salary .

Receiving a salary, however small, means you arent a slave .

Being free to leave, means that you arent a slave .

I do agree that everyone should receive a living wage , but I disagree that those on low incomes are "slaves"

[Rick Sanchez]

those NGO boats are also part of the traffic

 

the trafficker gets paid big to put as many on little not sea worthy boats and that's it ...

 

if they drown, he got paid anyway

[puipuitom]

20 hours ago, Mavideol said:

and a week or so ago BJ girl friend was finger pointing at Thailand claiming monkey labor abuse.... old saying "" people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones""

Only... that could not convince consumers to buy coconut products again, witrh result this business is for a big part over.

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed. 

[billd766]

On 7/14/2020 at 6:13 PM, Mavideol said:

and a week or so ago BJ girl friend was finger pointing at Thailand claiming monkey labor abuse.... old saying "" people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones""

Do you believe that she has slaves or are you just pointing a finger as well?