Videos of Modern Slavery

Ghost Fleet VR is an immersive look at the true story of modern slavery in the Thai fishing industry, told through the experience of one man’s harrowing ordeal to escape a prison of water after 10 years at sea. It is inspired by the feature documentary Ghost Fleet which follows a small group of Thai activists who risk their lives to find justice and freedom for enslaved fishermen. It depicts the harsh and violent living and working conditions that the fishermen are exposed to. Being far from sight–in faraway seas, they are harassed, beaten, threatened, and forced to work in horrendous inhumane conditions. This documentary is a 360 video – so you can scroll the screen or move your mobile device around you to get the best visual experience. #Human trafficking, #forced labour, #exploitation #fishing industry

This video describes Trokosi, a practice of sending virgin girls to fetish shrines to pay for the crimes of their family. At these shrines, the young girls become ‘wives of the gods’ and are enslaved to the priests and shrine elders without remuneration. It is believed that the girls become spiritually bound to the shrine, and thus earn forgiveness from the gods. If the girl runs away or dies, her family must replace her with another virgin girl. In most cases, the girls are sent without their consent, and must undertake a variety of physical labour and sexual exploitation from priests. This practice occurs in Ghana, Togo, and Benin, by various ethnic groups and tribes. Across West Africa, thousands of women have been enslaved in this system for over 300 years, and it remains prevalent despite being outlawed in 2018. The video tells the story of Brigitte, who was forced to leave her Togolese family aged 7. She was later rescued and adopted by an American family, however, she describes feeling empty without her original family and culture by her side. 

I Am Little Red is a 10-minute animated short aimed at children most at-risk for sex trafficking (e.g. foster-care, runaway, LBGTQ, homeless, and adopted children), with the goal of prevention and awareness. The documentary film is an ideal vehicle to create awareness and dialogue about online child-sex trafficking. It was designed as a primary prevention tool to be used among middle school students (ages 11-14) of all genders to reduce their risk of commercial sexual exploitation. For more information, please see: https://www.iamlittlered.com/ #Child-sex trafficking, #sexual exploitation #online abuse

Human trafficking and forced labour remain common in prosperous countries such as Singapore. The girl shown in this clip, Lili, was trafficked for sex work in Singapore. Initially, she was told she would work as a babysitter or cafe waitress. Upon arrival aged 14, however, she was forced to work as a prostitute. The agents forced her to work, and her lack of knowledge of English prevented her escape. Lili was forced to live with four other girls in an apartment controlled by her pimp, until one of her clients helped her to escape. Lili has now been helped by Hagar Singapore, an organisation that helps trafficked women in Singapore. Her agent has been arrested, however, the problem still persists. #Human trafficking, #sexual exploitation, #child sexual exploitation.

Modern slavery in the UK is pervasive across many industries, including nail salons, car washes, cannabis farming and prostitution. Trafficking is a major part of this, with smugglers utilising carriers and vans to transport victims. Regardless of the introduction of the Modern Slavery Act in 2015, public awareness of modern slavery in the UK remains limited, and the problem remains pervasive. This video shares three stories from victims in the UK. Tuan was a victim of trafficking and was forced to work in a cannabis house aged 15. Despite being rescued by the police, he was enslaved again and subjected to starvation, physical restraint and filthy living conditions. Originally from Romania, Anna was rescued from forced prostitution in 2014, where she had been facing both psychological and physical abuse. Also from Romania, Claudio worked as a car washer for five months. He was forced to work long shifts and live in inhumane conditions, with no option to escape as he was an illegal immigrant and his employer was withholding his passport. As this video shows, migrants in the UK are particularly vulnerable to slavery and exploitation. #Forced labour, #forced criminality, #labour exploitation, #human trafficking, #sexual exploitation.

India is one of the world’s largest brick producers, with an estimated 23 million labourers in the brick industry. Seasonally, thousands of families travel across India to work in brick kilns and are subjected to exploitation. Families are recruited and given a loan, trapping them in debt bondage and forcing them to keep working to pay off the debt. Workers are paid per 1000 bricks, irrespective of how many hours are involved. Subsequently, children are forced to work up to 14 hours a day to try and meet the required quotas, taking them away from their education and subjecting them to gruelling conditions. In many cases, wages are withheld, and documentation is not provided. Additionally, women are invisible in this industry, despite making up 40% of the workforce. Workers are frequently threatened, and in some cases abducted or assaulted for complaining or refusing to work. Whilst forced labour is a penalty in India, prosecution rarely occurs. #Forced labour, #hazardous child labour, #debt bondage.