Modern Slavery is the illegal exploitation of adults and children. It is defined within the Modern Slavery Act 2015 as offences of slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour, and human trafficking.

The Care Act 2014 introduced modern slavery as a separate category of abuse for adults. It recognises exploitation and specifically slavery and human trafficking, as a “form of abuse and neglect”.

Please refer to Camden’s Modern Slavery Guidance and also Home Office’s guidance and briefing for more information about modern slavery and how to spot the signs. Modern slavery can often be linked to other forms of exploitation and crime, such as cuckooing and county lines.

This guidance should be read in combination with The London Multi–Agency Adult Safeguarding Policy and Procedures and Camden Safeguarding Children Board’s Safeguarding children from modern slavery and trafficking: Guidance for professionals.

Types of modern slavery:

The term Modern Slavery captures a whole range of types of exploitation, many of which occur together. These include but are not limited to

Labour exploitation or debt bondage: Where vulnerable people are exploited for labour or forced to work for little or no money. Victims may be coerced into working in dangerous conditions, live in squalor and have limited access to their own money and belongings.

Similarly, debt bondage may see a person being forced to work for a person who has lent them money, which they have little prospect of paying off. This can happen in various industries, including construction, manufacturing, laying driveways, hospitality, food packaging, agriculture, maritime and beauty (nail bars).

Domestic servitude: Where victims are made to work almost constantly in private households. The pay is often very low and payments may be delayed or in kind for food and accommodation. Victims may have their freedoms limited, for example they are stopped from leaving the house, have their identity documents removed and have restricted contact with the outside world.

Sexual exploitation: Where adults and children are groomed or forced into sex work or to perform sexual acts. This could be group exploitation where victims are forced into sex work with multiple person, commonly being based in brothels, on the street or in ‘pop-up’ locations. There are also single exploiters who may groom the person to engage in sexual activity with them, this is often very common within child sexual exploitation.

Criminal exploitation: Where individuals or groups of people are controlled, maltreated, or forced to commit crime and unlawful acts against their will. This covers gang and drug related activity, such as county lines, forced begging, shoplifting, benefit fraud and theft. Sham and forced marriages also fall under this category; often women forced into a marriage can also be subject to domestic abuse.

People on Health and Care Worker visas

People who arrived in the UK on a Health and Care Worker visa may also be potential victims of modern day slavery, if any of the following describe their experience after arriving in the UK:

• being asked to pay or repay high fees to their visa sponsor
• working for very low wages and/or in poor conditions
• not working in the job promised to them or the job promised does not exist
• any of the types of modern day slavery listed apply to them