What is modern day slavery?
Someone is in slavery if they are:
- Forced to work through mental or physical threat
- Owned or controlled by an 'employer', usually through mental or physical abuse or the threat of abuse
- Dehumanised, treated as a commodity or bought and sold as 'property'
- Physically constrained or have restrictions placed on his/her freedom
The following definitions are encompassed within the term 'modern slavery' for the purposes of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
These are:
- Slavery is where ownership is exercised over a person
- Servitude involves the obligation to provide services imposed by coercion
- Forced or compulsory labour involves work or service extracted from any person under the menace of a penalty and for which the person has not offered himself voluntarily
- Human trafficking concerns arranging or facilitating the travel of another with a view to exploiting them
Further information
- London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Statement on Slavery and Human Trafficking (2018-19)
(pdf, 225 KB)
- Modern Slavery Awareness and Victim Identification Guidance (Home Office)
(pdf, 239 KB)
- Modern slavery in the UK: March 2020 (ONS)
(pdf, 1.1 MB)
- Typology of Modern Slavery Offences in the UK (Home Office)
(pdf, 1.5 MB)
- Guidance on how to report modern day slavery
- Find out about organisations that can help and support victims of modern day slavery
Up to: Modern day slavery
Updated: 20 October 2020
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