Cases of people being trafficked into the UK and being forced into modern forms of slavery are on the increase. Many of these victims come into contact with health care services so as a nursing and / or midwifery professional it is essential that you are able to spot the signs and know how to act on them.

Someone is in slavery if they are:

• forced to work – through coercion, or mental or physical threat
• owned or controlled by an ’employer’, through mental or physical abuse or the threat of abuse
• dehumanised, treated as a commodity or bought and sold as ‘property’
• physically constrained or have restrictions placed on their freedom of movement.

Human trafficking involves recruitment, harbouring or transporting people into a situation of exploitation through the use of violence, deception or coercion and forced to work against their will. 

(Slavery in the UK, Anti-Slavery International)

An estimated 50 million men, women, and children are victims of modern slavery. Of these, an estimated 28 million people are in forced labour and 24 million people are living in a forced marriage.

The UK Government estimates that around 10,000 people in the UK are affected by modern slavery. However, current estimates do not cover all forms of modern slavery, for example, organ trafficking, child soldiers, or child marriage (forced marriage). Therefore, numbers may not be accurate and experts believe this figure to be more like 122,000 people. 

If you suspect that a person is a victim of slavery, this is a safeguarding issue.

You should trust and act on your professional instinct that something is not quite right. It is usually a combination of triggers, an inconsistent story and a pattern of symptoms that may cause you to suspect trafficking.    

If you have any concerns about a child, young person or adult take immediate action to ask further questions and get additional information and support. It is important to remember that:

• trafficked people may not self-identify as victims of modern slavery
• trafficking victims can be prevented from revealing their experience to health care staff from fear, shame, language barriers and a lack of opportunity to do so. It can take time for a person to feel safe enough to open up
• err on the side of caution regarding age. If a person tells you they are under 18 or if a person says they are an adult, but you suspect they are not, then take action as though they were under 18 years old
• support for victims of human trafficking is available.

Many people have some basic first aid training to help someone who has been physically hurt. However, what steps can you take to take to support someone who has experienced emotional or psychological harm and distress? This is particularly important in the settings of severe adversity, after a disaster or in conflict, or the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Find further information on training psychological first aid:

• UNICEF: How to provide psychological first aid.
• GOV.UK: Psychological first aid in emergencies training for frontline staff and volunteers. 
• GOV.UK: Psychological first aid supporting children and young people affected by coronavirus (COVID-19).

People who suffer in modern slavery and trafficking situations are likely to have significant psychological trauma and may benefit from psychological first aid. This should be followed up with access to secondary mental health care. 

A victim of modern slavery may display some of the following health care issues:

If the person: