Modern Slavery Cases Rose 30% In One Year In London
24 people were found being forced to work as modern slaves across five Southwark nail bars in December 2019.
Recorded modern slavery cases in the UK rose nearly 500 between 2017 and 2018.
According to the government’s UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery, the volume of cases referred for crime recording purposes increased from 1,624 in 2017 to 2,111 in 2018 in the capital.
In December 2019, 19 adults and five children were found to have been “trafficked and forced to work as modern slaves” in five nail bars across Southwark, as reported by Southwark News. Thirteen individuals “were arrested on suspicion of human trafficking and modern slaving offences, with a fourteenth person arrested on suspicion of immigration offences.”
The Southwark News report adds “The Met says the five-month operation began after police and Southwark Council received concerns over the welfare of workers in July 2019.”
The government’s 2020 report on modern slavery, which will include data for 2019, has yet to be released.