UK treatment of modern slaves “unacceptable”
UK’s first anti-slavery commissioner dismisses the authorities’ treatment of some victims of the modern slavery as morally unacceptable.
Kevin Hyland also noted that some victims were not given proper support by authorities.
Elaborating on his first plan of action since the role was created last year, Hyland said he wanted more victims to be identified and more prosecutions of traffickers and slave masters.
He said the plan calls for giving police special training on slavery. He said the officers need to know how to handle victims of sexual exploitation and forced labour, as well as perpetrators.
UK Home Office estimated last year that there could be between 10,000 and 13,000 slavery victims in the country with the majority coming from Albania, Nigeria and Vietnam. However there was also a significant rise in the number of British people being referred to the authorities.
According to Hyland, the victims were being held in "hidden handcuffs" unable to escape from their slave masters.
"They are groomed in a way. They are told their families will be hurt, their documents are taken from them and they are too scared to come forward," he said.
He went on saying that many victims are "hidden in plain sight" working on construction sites, farms and nail bars.
"You can be driving along a country lane - on one side of the road people are legitimately employed and on the other side of the road people are in forced labour and slavery. But actually it's up to the authorities and the communities to look a little bit further," he said.
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