Understanding Modern Slavery and Exploitation
Types of Exploitation
Modern slavery and exploitation encompass: Sexual Exploitation, Domestic Servitude, Forced Labour, and Criminal Exploitation.
Signs of Slavery and Exploitation
Recognizing potential victims can be challenging as the signs are often concealed:
- Legal documents held by someone else
- Poor medical care, old or untreated injuries
- Malnourished or un-kept appearance
- Fearful and withdrawn behaviour
- Fear of authorities or family separation
- Debt bondage perception
Facts about Modern Slavery
- Scale: Second largest organised crime globally, with an estimated 27 million slaves worldwide.
- Victims: Any age, gender, ethnicity, or nationality can be victims.
- Growth: Fastest growing criminal activity worldwide.
- Children Trafficking: An estimated 1.2 million children trafficked annually, with the average age of victims being 12 years old.
- UK: Approximately 4,000 victims trafficked for prostitution at any given time.
Understanding Exploitation
Exploitation is the deliberate mistreatment, manipulation, or abuse of power:
- Forms: Slavery, forced labour, domestic violence, sexual violence, human trafficking, and more.
- Motives: Usually for personal gain, but not exclusively so.