Surprised no reaction from BYD owners on this forum

[webfact]

British victims of modern slavery recount abuse in TV documentary

By Sally Hayden

 

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Victims of modern slavery in Britain have spoken about being forced to work 19 hour days for little or no pay, beaten up and having their IDs taken from them, in a programme by the UK's Channel 4 television.

 

Due to be broadcast on Tuesday evening, The Modern British Slave Trade follows prosecutors as they investigate cases of labour exploitation, and interviews victims about the abuse they experienced.

 

Filmed over two years, it details the story of Christopher Nicholls, whose skeletal remains were discovered in 2008, six years after he disappeared.

 

He had been working for an traveller couple William and Mary Connors, who ran a business laying driveways and were jailed on forced labour convictions in 2012. They held Nicholls captive and physically abused him, according to another employee.

 

Victims who worked for other members of the Connors family spoke about being hit with brooms or hosed with cold water naked in the middle of winter.

 

One former worker, Mark Ovenden, said he was on the edge of destitution after losing his job in 2009 when he was recruited.

"I experienced some hardship, I started to feel very depressed," he told Channel 4.

 

Offered a job with accommodation and three meals a day by one of the Connors family, he agreed.

 

But once he arrived at their rural property, he found workers were living eight to a horsebox. His head was shaved, clothes taken and his phone and ID were confiscated.

 

"I was definitely kept a prisoner," he said. "It was made very clear that if... I was to try and leave the consequences would be very great."

 

The programme also interviews migrant workers, including a 16-year-old boy who was trafficked from Vietnam to work at a nail bar.

 

There are an estimated 13,000 victims of forced labour, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude in Britain.

 

In 2015 the UK passed tough anti-slavery legislation introducing life sentences for traffickers and forcing companies to disclose what they are doing to make sure their supply chains are free from slavery.

 

Last week, two Polish brothers were jailed under Britain's modern slavery laws for stealing wages of around 18 other Poles they tricked with promises of work in the UK.

 

The brothers seized their travel documents, credit cards and most of their wages and -- by sometimes threatening violence -- exerted total control over them, prosecutors said.

 

(Reporting by Sally Hayden @sallyhayd, Editing by Ros Russell. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit http://news.trust.org)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-02-01

[elgordo38]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

"I experienced some hardship, I started to feel very depressed,"

This sounds familiar to me. Where have I heard it before?? Could this be the words of the disappearing middle class??

[dick dasterdly]

5 minutes ago, elgordo38 said:

This sounds familiar to me. Where have I heard it before?? Could this be the words of the disappearing middle class??

Please don't make light of the subject.  It happens.

 

Much as we prefer to believe it doesn't in the UK - until we come across genuine cases (virtual slavery or professional neighbours treating their children so badly that they're taken away) that make us realise otherwise.

[elgordo38]

2 hours ago, dick dasterdly said:

Please don't make light of the subject.  It happens.

 

Much as we prefer to believe it doesn't in the UK - until we come across genuine cases (virtual slavery or professional neighbours treating their children so badly that they're taken away) that make us realise otherwise.

Yes it does happen otherwise and I am not making light of it. Its just the way I see things as much as I like you and your comments we do differ at times. Makes us unique. 

[Lokie]

And in the UK how many of the guilty of these terrible crimes of modern day slavery were actually UK born nationals...? I'll proffer probably none, you got to love diversity...

[boomerangutang]

Almost sounds worse than Scientology.

[jacko45k]

4 hours ago, Lokie said:

And in the UK how many of the guilty of these terrible crimes of modern day slavery were actually UK born nationals...? I'll proffer probably none, you got to love diversity...

Well a case above suggest it was Poles abusing their fellow countrymen. Also others using the name Connors, who I cannot put a Nationality on.  Wherever there is the opportunity to make money, it will happen. It is sad that there are people in the UK  that are so desperate. Free movement is creating these situations.

[NumbNut]

^

The UK is not alone, this is a world-wide issue. As you say jacko45k, wherever there is the opportunity some unscrupulous folks will take advantage of vulnerable people.

 

For example, there has been some recent reports of blatant exploitation in the fruit picking industry in Australia. It's a popular part-time job for backpackers to help finance their holiday in Australia, and on the surface looks like a great way to see the country AND get paid for a part-time job that sounds very flexible.

 

The vast majority of fruit picking operations in Australia seem to be above board and okay, but there are rouge operators that just want to take advantage of young foreigners who in most cases do not have an understanding of local labour laws and are easily taken advantage of because of this. Shameful in every respect!

 

 

Edited February 1, 2017 by NumbNut

[ddavidovsky]

I don't get it. Why don't they just quit or run away?

 

This isn't slavery. Slavery is where the system upholds the suppression of liberty. This is just bullying.

[Lokie]

8 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Well a case above suggest it was Poles abusing their fellow countrymen. Also others using the name Connors, who I cannot put a Nationality on.  Wherever there is the opportunity to make money, it will happen. It is sad that there are people in the UK  that are so desperate. Free movement is creating these situations.

You won't be able to put a nationality on Connors in the OP, they are Travellers (Pikeys) neither Irish nor english hey flit between the two countries doing what they like and leaving a whole load of $ h ite in their wake and trouble wherever they descend on, do not pay any taxes and it appears most time that the law does not apply to them yet they all drive around in top of the range Mercs and have 60k caravans in tow, yeah they are really nice people just trying to live their way of life...