Modern slavery & Human Trafficking

Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking are closely related, but they are distinct terms when it comes to safeguarding and UK law.

In England, Northern Ireland and Wales:

Modern Slavery is an umbrella term for situations where someone’s freedom is taken away, and they are controlled by others for personal or financial gain.

For children, this can include:

• forced labour or labour exploitation (e.g., being made to work in dangerous conditions)
• domestic servitude (e.g., being treated as a household servant)
• sexual exploitation 
• criminal exploitation (e.g., being forced to steal, beg, or carry drugs)
• forced marriage (including cases involving minors)

Human Trafficking is a form of Modern Slavery, but it specifically involves movement—using force, fraud, coercion, or deception to move someone for the purpose of exploitation.

For children, this movement could be:

• between homes or properties
• between towns or regions
• across national borders 

In Scotland:

Only the term Human trafficking is used. It’s a serious crime, when someone is bought or sold by people who are going to exploit them. It can also be when someone is recruited or moved so they can be exploited.

Both Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking are covered by law throughout the UK: 

• England and Wales: Modern Slavery Act 2015 
• Scotland: Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 
• Northern Ireland: Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice and Support for Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 
  
  

Who is affected?

Anyone can be a victim of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. These harms affect people of all backgrounds, ages and genders.

Exploiters will often target a particular vulnerability, such as homelessness, poverty, insecure immigration status, isolation or any other aspect of a person’s identity or life circumstances that makes them more vulnerable to harm and abuse. 

Reporting and Referring:

There are several routes to report concerns about Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking:

In an emergency, call 999.

The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the UK’s system for identifying and supporting victim-survivors of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. It covers the whole of the UK, though there are some differences in guidance and implementation between the nations. Churches and community groups can’t report directly to the NRM but Local Authorities in England, Scotland and Wales and Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland, can.