Salvation Army has helped 4,500 slaves since 2011 but more is needed, charity says
The Salvation Army reported that it received 4,500 victims of modern slavery between July 2011 and March 2016. The demand for support continued to grow and the organization, along with its partners, adapted its services to support the people being referred to it, according to the UK branch of the charity.
The organization reported that it received 1,331 victims of modern slavery between April 2015 and March 2016. This figure is in stark contrast with the 378 victims in the first year it began to accept potential victims of human trafficking and slavery.
The U.K. Home Office told BBC that the rise in numbers is a sign that efforts to shed light on modern slavery were working. "Slavery has long been hidden in plain sight, and our policy is designed to encourage more victims to come forward and ask for help," said Sarah Newton, U.K. minister for safeguarding, vulnerability and countering extremism.
Most victims were found in nail salons, car washes and farms. Victims were sometimes forced to pave drive ways, work as nannies and engage in sexual exploitation. 44 percent had been sexually exploited while 42 percent had been exploited for labor. 13 percent were exploited for domestic work.
The organization's report stated that most of the victims were from Albania. Other victims were from Poland, Nigeria and Vietnam. There were also British citizens who had been trafficked within the U.K.
The charity launched the Modern Slavery Victim Care and Coordination Contract which provided transport and accommodations in safe-houses for victims of modern slavery. It also gave victims access to legal and immigration advice as well as financial support and counseling.
"To combat modern slavery will require a continuing concerted effort from across society," said Anne Read, the anti-trafficking and modern slavery director for The Salvation Army.
"Everyone from official agencies, frontline workers, Government, NGOs and, [more] importantly, the general public has a part to play in defeating the perpetrators of these crimes and securing the safety and the best outcome for people currently trapped in slave-like conditions – unable to escape and forced to do things against their will," she said in a statement.
