“Lucy” was 12 when she was told she was going on holiday with a family friend. She left her village in west Africa, excited to get on a plane for the first time. All was not as it seemed. She was brought to the UK and left in a house with strangers. She was trapped. Men began to visit the house. Day after day, night after night. For months on end, Lucy endured physical and sexual abuse. Finally, she found the chance to run. But, with nowhere to go, she was forced to live rough on the streets.
Tragically, Lucy’s story is far from isolated. Human trafficking – for sexual exploitation, forced labour and other modern forms of slavery – is not some foreign evil. It is happening right here, on our doorstep. In fact, in 2017, UK nationals formed the largest number of trafficking victims in the UK. And the matter is only growing more urgent.
The estimate of the number of suspected victims of trafficking and modern slavery in Britain has risen tenfold from 13,000 in 2013, to 136,000 in 2018. Last year, there were 5,145 cases reported in the UK – the highest on record – and 41% involved children under 18.
Thousands of victims are trafficked into slavery in the UK and kept hidden in plain sight, often working seven days a week for little or no pay in nail salons, car washes, building sites, kitchens, factories and farms. They are trapped, abused and exploited, with no hope of returning home to their loved ones. Often, unknowingly, we are contributing towards someone else’s suffering by buying services and products from people living in modern slavery.
We can’t leave it to law enforcement to fight human trafficking alone. All of us must stand watch against modern slavery, rooting it out of our communities, leaving no refuge for traffickers. That’s why, with the charity One Family, I created the campaign #HumanToo. Through #HumanToo, One Family is standing in solidarity with victims and survivors, recognising their humanity and asking everyone, everywhere, to be a part of putting an end to trafficking and modern slavery. We are asking people to learn the common signs of trafficking and slavery, and to be vigilant; to report suspicious activity to the police; to be curious about the businesses they buy from, and use their purchasing power to support those that are upholding human rights.
Kevin Hyland OBE, the UK’s inaugural anti-slavery commissioner, said of the campaign: “It is a reminder that this crime impacts society in many different ways. Most of those who perpetrate these crimes do so for financial gain. No matter what business sector or industry the criminals take advantage of to exploit vulnerable people, it is only through collaboration between the community, the private sector, NGOs, statutory agencies, faith groups and government that we will finally eradicate this crime.”
As a part of the campaign, actors will be placed in installations across the City of London representing a nail bar, a school (where sometimes cleaners are in fact slaves), a hotel room, a prison and a construction site, to spotlight key industries that people are trafficked into in the UK. Our installations highlight that human trafficking is hidden in plain sight: a dark underworld oozing just beneath the surface of our everyday lives. But together, we can end it.
