Videos of Modern Slavery

This video showcases how women and girls become victims of Romania’s sex trafficking trade. It shows a report by ITV News on the Sexual Exploitation of females in Romania, who at 14/15 years old are put to work as sex workers in brothels before being sold to exploiters across Europe, including the UK, to be sex workers. The video also shows a 14-years old who is pregnant to a man who abused her in a brothel. The desire for a better life is so acutely felt by Romanians, and their desperation can lead people to the mercy of a trafficker. The government estimated there were between 10,000 to 13,000 victims of trafficking in Britain, however, according to the charity Justice and Care and think tank the Centre for Social Justice the true figure is much higher. #Sex trafficking, #Human trafficking #child-sex trafficking

In this video, Mahmoud Abdelwahed reports from a detention centre in the Libyan capital Tripoli. The video shows how dreams and aspirations of having a better life may result in poor, hell-like conditions, where African migrants are being sold in slave markets. According to the Al Jazeera reports, the trade works by preying on the tens of thousands of vulnerable people who risk everything on what is being described as the deadliest routes on earth. The migrants shown in the video were rescued by Libya’s coast guards in the Mediterranean and brought to the detention centre in the Libyan capital Tripoli. The migrants have taken a tough journey through the desert and fled war, poverty, and unemployment in their countries. Further, they paid their smugglers to get to Libya to try to cross the Mediterranean, to Europe. With the financial and security collapse in Libya, human trafficking and smuggling have become a growing trade. #Human trafficking, #smuggling, #exploitation #migration

This documentary/film is about two volunteer filmmakers’ journey to the front lines of slavery around the globe to meet survivors and activists face to face. Their poignant half-hour film uncovers the inhuman brutality of hidden slavery in Nepal, India, Ghana, and the Congo–and bears witness to the inspiring grassroots movement that is bringing thousands of people from slavery to freedom. The documentary is a great initiative of ‘Free the Slaves’ and inspires more action-oriented research, advocacy, and grassroots engagement to end modern slavery, globally. #Human trafficking, #forced labour, #exploitation #slavery

The global production of cobalt is firmly linked to modern slavery in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Cobalt is a material used in Lithium-ion batteries, and is used by multinational corporations such as Apple, Google, and Microsoft, for smartphones, laptops, and other electronic devices. However, cobalt mines are unmonitored and hazardous, and are linked to child labour, particularly in the southern Congo. Children are frequently forced to work up to 12-hour days just to eat, a privilege that is often withheld as starvation and physical abuse remain common. The inhalation of cobalt dust and direct contact with the material has long-term health implications, as children are not provided face masks or gloves for extraction and are expected to tunnel underground for more material. Mining also causes water pollution for nearby villages and causes health issues ranging from rashes to tumours. Cobalt remains a million-dollar enterprise and is mainly sold to Chinese traders and exported to China for engineering and processes. As the price of the material is a priority, external buyers give little thought to the child labour and working conditions in the mines, enforcing the cycle for years to come. #Forced labour, #hazardous child labour.

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.

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.