Latest figures from the International Labour Organisation show that across the globe, 28 million people are believed to be experiencing forced labour, with a further 22 million trapped in forced marriage. Forced marriage is often a cover for domestic servitude, forced labour and sexual exploitation.

Official government figures revealed that in 2022, 16,938 potential trafficking victims were referred for National Referral Mechanism (NRM) support. However unofficial figures for the UK put the likely number of exploitation victims in the country at over 100,000.

In the UK people are primarily exploited in the areas of forced labour, forced sex work, domestic servitude and forced criminality. Many people are brought to the UK under false pretence of legitimate work, only to find themselves exploited and abused, and powerless to escape.

As one of the largest providers of adult modern slavery support in the UK, Causeway are experts in the field of survivor recovery and have supported thousands of individuals across our services.

Our accommodation team run safe houses for male and female survivors, as well as family safe houses for people who arrive with children. Our outreach team support many more survivors of exploitation who are living in the community too, and who need support in accessing services such as health care, housing, legal advice education and employment.

If you believe someone is in immediate danger, or if that person is a child, you should call the police on 999. If you are a member of the public concerned about someone, you can call the Modern Slavery Helpline on 0800 0121 700. You can also report concerns to the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority on 0800 432 0804.