DATA + EXPLAINERS
What is modern slavery?
Modern slavery is the severe exploitation of one person for another person’s gain, but the definition sometimes differs between governments, researchers and charities.
Survivor support
Survivors should have access to counselling, safe housing, and other basic necessities after their ordeal. The data shows a different picture.
Modern slavery + immigration
Survivors of modern slavery may be forced to cross borders as a result of their trafficking, or start with insecure immigration status and become exploited because of this vulnerability.
Modern slavery + prevention
Prevention of the root causes of exploitation is key, including through education, labour enforcement, and better reporting conditions so that exploited workers and victims can safely come forward.
Modern slavery + justice
Data on how many traffickers are tried in court can be contradictory. Meanwhile, survivors themselves are often criminalised or even imprisoned for activity they may have been forced to commit, according to new data.
Sexual exploitation + sex work
Conflating ‘sex work’ with ‘sex trafficking’ makes it harder for professionals – and survivors themselves – to recognise real exploitation. Meanwhile, the over policing of sex work poses a risk to the victims these interventions aim to protect.
EVIDENCE DATABASE
Our database tracks known public data on modern slavery, usually relevant to UK practitioners, researchers and journalists. To add missing data, email info@afterexploitation.org
COMING SOON
REPORTS
A report by After Exploitation highlights poor availability and accuracy of information on modern slavery in the UK. Interviews with more than 50 practitioners revealed poor access to evidence via Freedom of Information (FOI) and Parliamentary Questions (PQs), undermining the public’s ability to assess how well the government is addressing modern slavery.
After Exploitation and Women for Refugee Women’s report documents thousands of cases in which potential trafficking survivors were detained under UK immigration powers from 2019 to 2020, despite legal provisions meant to protect them. The UK’s immigration system fails to recognise trafficking indicators early enough, exacerbating the trauma of survivors.
‘Hidden futures’ reveals the ways in which the UK government routinely denies and suppresses critical data on modern slavery, obstructing transparency in areas such as the detention and deportation of trafficking victims. Drawing on extensive Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, the report uncovers numerous instances where data that could support victims was either withheld or denied, hampering efforts to combat modern slavery effectively
A briefing by After Exploitation highlights significant disparities in the recognition of trafficking victims in the UK’s National Referral Mechanism (NRM). Non-EU victims are almost five times more likely to have their claims rejected compared to British nationals. This imbalance raises concerns about the fairness of the NRM process and suggests potential nationality bias, complicating the ability of non-EU victims to access essential support services like housing and legal aid.
This briefing reveals that over half of potential trafficking victims who opted for voluntary return from the UK had previously been held in detention, raising concerns that these returns may not be truly voluntary. The report explores the risks of re-trafficking, social exclusion, and retaliation that victims face upon returning to their home countries, highlighting a lack of transparency surrounding survivors’ after return.
Supported or deported?: Understanding the data held on modern slavery
‘Supported or deported?’ reveals significant gaps in protections for victims of trafficking, with many being detained in prison-like settings or removed from the UK without receiving adequate support, often in violation of their rights. This data, revealed for the first time in 2019, highlighted the lack of safeguards within immigration detention.
After Exploitation 