Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Modern slavery reports have doubled in UK care industry

Victims have been described as extremely vulnerable.

Rob Freeman
Tuesday 25 July 2023 07:08 BST
The hands of an elderly woman (Peter Byrne/PA)
The hands of an elderly woman (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Reports of modern slavery in the UK care industry more than doubled in the first three months of this year.

The anti-slavery charity Unseen, a government-approved helpline, told BBC Radio 4’s File On 4 programme they heard from 109 potential victims exploited for personal or financial gain between January and March, twice as many as the same period 12 months earlier.

Unseen said thousands of care sector vacancies had been filled in the past year had been filled by overseas staff after the Government had made it easier for them to work in the sector.

Victims of modern slavery are extremely vulnerable

Sara Thornton

Former independent anti-slavery commissioner Sara Thornton said the newly passed Illegal Migration Bill will make it harder to support many vulnerable victims due to the threat of deportation.

She said: “Victims of modern slavery are extremely vulnerable.

“They will be in terror of the people who’ve trafficked or enslaved them, who will tell them there’s no point going to the police or the local authority or a charity because they won’t support you.”

The National Police Chiefs’ Council said its dedicated team was dealing with more than 3,500 active investigations in England in Wales but fewer than 2% of reports results in charges last year.

The Gangmasters And Labour Abuse Authority told the programme it was involved in more than 300 ongoing investigations in the care sector.

File On 4 is on BBC Radio 4 at 8pm on Tuesday.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in