The Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline

Challenge

There are an estimated 100,000 victims of slavery in the UK. Each week men, women and children are forced to work or commit crimes against their will. Our Helpline is receiving more calls than ever, with war in Ukraine, the Cost-of-Living Crisis, and an environment in which survivors struggle to access support, many people are vulnerable to exploitation. Without an accurate picture of exploiters' methods of recruitment and control, the police and authorities find it harder to stop this crime.

Solution

Operating 24/7, 365 days a year, and available in over 200 languages, Unseen's Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline offers free advice to potential victims, the public and frontline workers. Our expert Helpline Advisors work round-the-clock to support victims, liaising with police to get them to safety. Data from the Helpline provides crucial trends about methods of recruitment which informs the anti-slavery work of governments, police, and businesses, ultimately helping more victims.

Long-Term Impact

Our vision is for a world without slavery. The Helpline has indicated over 30,000 potential victims since it began operating in 2016. Calls to the Helpline are at a record high - last year we received 15% more contacts than the previous year and we expect that trend to continue. Based on our data, we are expecting to answer more calls, support more victims of modern slavery and develop routes to ensure vulnerable and exploited people get the help and support they deserve.

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).

Resources

• https:/​/​www.unseenuk.org/​
• https:/​/​www.unseenuk.org/​
• https:/​/​www.modernslaveryhelpline.org/​