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JUNE 2018 | 13

The extent of labour exploitation and slavery in modern-day Britain has been laid bare in a new report by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority ( GLAA ).

Drawing on its extensive work with victims and offenders , as well as inspections at hundreds of workplaces , the GLAA has outlined the nature and scale of slavery in the UK today - who is being exploited , which industries are affected , and the methods being used .

Some of the key findings include :

• Victims of labour exploitation are most commonly Vietnamese , Albanian and British , with British victims increasing by 362 %

• Forced labour accounts for around 30 % of all exploitation . Most victims are male EU nationals from Bulgaria , Czech Republic , Estonia , Poland , Romania and Slovakia

• ‘ Debt bondage ’ is an increasing tactic used by criminals , where victims are forced to work off debts they have no control over

• Social media is being used to recruit workers who go on to be exploited , with some people arriving in the UK for work that doesn ’ t exist

• Victims tend to live in poor conditions without basic facilities like electricity , heating and water . They are threatened with losing their jobs if they find somewhere else to live

• Some workers are being further exploited by being charged a daily rate of transport to and from work , with wages taken directly from their bank account

• In the 12 months until March 2017 , police in England and Wales recorded 2,255 modern slavery offences .

• The report is entitled ‘ The Nature and Scale of Labour Exploitation Across All Sectors Within The United Kingdom .’

www . gla . gov . uk