What is Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking?

Modern slavery and human trafficking take place all over the world, including Norfolk.

Modern Slavery

The Home Office has described modern slavery as ‘a serious and brutal crime in which people are treated as commodities and exploited for criminal gain. The true extent of modern slavery in the UK, and indeed globally, is unknown.’

Human Trafficking

The UN defined human trafficking in the Palermo Protocol as the ‘recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons by means of threat, or use of force, coercion or deception…to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.’ According to this definition, trafficking includes sexual exploitation, forced and bonded labour, domestic servitude, any form of slavery and removal of organs.

The act, the means and the purpose must be present for an adult to be considered trafficked. However, for children, the ‘means’ component is not required as they are not able to give consent.

The Act

The act describes the processes involved in trafficking.

Trafficking is:

  • recruitment;

  • or transportation;

  • or transfer;

  • or harbouring;

  • or receipt

The Means

The means describes how trafficking is done.

Trafficking takes place by means of:

  • force;

  • or fraud;

  • or coercion;

  • or deception;

  • or abuse of power;

  • or abuse of position of vulnerability;

  • or giving or receiving of payment or benefit

The Purpose

The purpose is the motive for why trafficking occurs.

Trafficking takes place by a variety of means for the purpose of:

  • labour exploitation;

  • or slavery practices;

  • or servitude;

  • or sexual exploitation;

  • or removal of organs;

  • or other forms not listed here

 

Types of Exploitation

There are several types of exploitation and areas that are considered high risk – these include, but are not limited to:

Sexual exploitation

  • Sex work

  • Escort work

  • Pornography

  • Massage parlours

  • Brothels

Domestic servitude

  • Nannies

  • Cleaners

  • Housemaids

Labour exploitation

  • Construction

  • Farming

  • Textiles

  • Car washes

  • Nail bars

  • Cannabis production

Organ harvesting

  • Removal of organs for black market sale

  • Transplantation

Forced begging

  • Forced labour

  • Begging

  • Pick-pocketing (stealing)

    Exploitation and injury

Other forms of trafficking

  • Forced criminality

  • Trafficking of athletes

  • Illegal adoption

  • Forced theft

  • Forced marriage