In Nepal, there is a village that is nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, officially called Hokse, but commonly known as “Kidney Valley.” At least one person in every household in this village has had their kidney illegally harvested and sold. Motivated by desperation and poverty, many who bear scars share their stories and […]
Source: Sky News
‘If I go back, I will be murdered’: a trafficking survivor’s reality under the Illegal Migration Act
The reality of Anna (pseudonym), a sex trafficking survivor, facing unlawful removal from the U.K. demonstrates the abominable dangers that asylum seekers face under the Illegal Migration Act. Anna was sex trafficked from Albania to the U.K. She was threatened and sexually assaulted on countless occasions throughout the journey. In an interview with Matthew Thompson […]
U.K.’s complicity in modern slavery through its supply chains
The launch of the latest Global Slavery Index this week by anti-modern slavery and international human rights group Walk Free paints a stark picture. An estimated 50 million people around the world are living in conditions of modern slavery and while the U.K. topped the report’s list of countries that have taken the most action […]
Forced labor camp survivor suing British government for “dragging its heels”
“I’m lucky I’m in a free country now. But I can’t not think about people who I left behind. I don’t know what happened to them, what kind of horrors they have been subjected to.” Erbakit Otarbay has escaped forced labor and torture at a Uyghur Region labor camp where he had been detained for […]
U.K.’s system to support trafficking victims is failing
Sky News reports that the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the system through which trafficking victims are identified and supported in the U.K., is failing. Though record numbers of people are being referred to the NRM as potential victims of trafficking, many are not receiving the support they need, increasing the risk of them being retrafficked. […]
Whistleblower shares accounts of torture in Uyghur Region
An ex-police detective turned whistleblower now residing in Europe and known as Jiang has shared his experience working in the Uyghur Region of China with the media. His testimony bears close resemblance to statements from Uyghur survivors who have left the detention camps. This includes physical and sexual violence, murder, and other abuses such as […]
Secret government policy prioritizes immigration targets over rights
The U.K. High Court criticized the government’s deportation of a survivor of trafficking, identified as AA, describing the action as a “secret policy”. AA had entered the U.K. in June 2020 having fled torture and persecution in Sudan, through Libya, where a High Court Judge said there was “objective evidence” he was trafficked, before reaching […]
Boohoo faces U.S. import ban over modern slavery allegations
Allegations of the use of forced labor in their supply chain have left the U.K.’s fastest-growing fashion retailer Boohoo and its suppliers facing an import ban in the U.S. Despite earning profits of £92.2 million ($127 million) in 2020, a Sunday Times investigation last year found evidence of illegally low wages and poor working conditions […]
Increase in modern slavery victims exploited in doorstep scams
Organized criminal gangs are increasingly using victims of modern slavery to carry out door-to-door scams, the UK’s National Trading Standards has found in a new report. Modern slavery victims exploited in these scams are forced to carry out unnecessary, poor quality household jobs at high prices. Victims are held captive by criminal gangs, forced to […]
The Verdict is In for the UK Modern Slavery Act
An independent review of the UK Modern Slavery Act is finally in, and the verdict isn’t good. The report’s authors write that the legislation is not strong enough to effectively combat modern slavery, urging ministers to act “quickly and effectively” to deal with the crime. Take Action: Support UK Victims of Trafficking In particular, the […]