The Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline

Sami was sponsored to come to the UK on a skilled worker visa and work in a restaurant. On arrival, the reality of the job was quite different to what had been agreed in his employment contract. Sami was monitored heavily via CCTV and was verbally abused frequently by his employer. Sami was paid a fraction of the salary he was supposed to receive, earning less than £150 per week. Out of this meagre wage, he had to return half to his employer as rent for his accommodation. The ‘accommodation’ consisted of a sofa in the restaurant.

Sami’s employer also made further deductions to his pay, stating these were for tax purposes. Sami was left with very little money to survive on and wanted to leave the situation to find different employment. His employer demanded that Sami pay thousands of pounds in exit fees to leave his contract and threatened to have him killed if he returned to his home country.

Sami fled the situation but did not have any money for accommodation and was fearful that he would be deported and that his life would be at risk when arriving back in his home country. Sami reached out to a solicitor who put him in touch with the Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline.

Following several calls with the Helpline, Sami presented at a police station and successfully advocated for himself to receive support as a destitute survivor of modern slavery. He was entered into the National Referral Mechanism and provided with safe accommodation.

Thanks to your donation to the Helpline, you have supported people like Sami to reach the help that they deserve.

In an increasingly complex and volatile political and economic environment, the independent role of the Helpline remains crucial.

Across the UK in this grant period the Helpline has identified thousands of Modern Slavery cases. 

The Helpline team has also produced over 50 bespoke data reports that identify key exploitation trends and inform key changemakers on sectors and locations at risk. The most significant of these reports include the 2024 Annual Assessment released in April, the Service not Servitude report outlining risk in the Hospitality sector released in August and The Economic Cost of Modern Slavery: Policing released in October, which used Helpline data to identify gaps in policing provision.

These reports have been widely shared and reflect the Helpline’s key role as vital infrastructure in the UK’s fight against modern slavery.

Spotlight: Exploitation in the hospitality sector.

According to Service not servitude: modern slavery in the hospitality sector, 485 potential victims were indicated in food and drink establishments, and 85 in holiday accommodation over the above period.

Survivors were often burdened with debts averaging £18,000 from illegal visa fees. The most common methods of control included financial coercion, tied accommodation and emotional abuse. 

Unseen says the findings point to a growing problem linked to skilled worker visas. Reports of potential victims in the hospitality sector on these visas rose by 7,400% between 2023 and 2024 (from one to 75*). 

You can read more about this here: https://www.unseenuk.org/modern-slavery-in-hospitality-sector-exposed-in-new-report/