The best way to understand modern slavery is to read the testimonies of those who have been exploited by human traffickers.
Mike came from Asia to the UK to study at a university. He became trapped here when his studies ended, his visa ran out and his family withheld all support after discovering he was gay.
Ahn’s journey began in Asia. From there he was trafficked to Russia, Germany and eventually to the UK – working in factories with no pay, little food, and bad working conditions. He lived in cramped, inhumane accommodation and was beaten on the head for talking to others.
Nanda is from Vietnam and fled fearing reprisals from the police for his involvement in political protests. A friend put him in touch with an agency that arranged work overseas who told Nanda that they would lend him money to travel to Russia where he could work in construction and pay off the debt within two years. This was not the case.
Luka was born in a poor part of Eastern Europe. When he was a toddler, he was taken into care. By the time he left care at 18, his parents had died. For a while, he lived with his sister. She, though, was into crime and used Luka’s identity card to commit fraud. He was forced to move out. With little or no money, he sofa-surfed or slept rough.
Living in Nigeria, Ada dreamt of a better future for herself and her two daughters. When a family friend offered her the chance of a new start in the UK, she jumped at it. Little did she know that her life would change forever, and she would become one of thousands of African women and girls trafficked to the UK every year.
Teresea was sold by an agent in her native Czech Republic into an unofficial ‘marriage’ with a man in the UK
