"Dame Sara Thornton: There could be slaves working in your local florist, restaurant or nail bar"

 

In an interview for The Telegraph, Dame Sara Thornton, the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, discusses the challenges and reality of tackling modern slavery five months into her role. 

 

"Dame Sara Thornton: There could be slaves working in your local florist, restaurant or nail bar" (The Telegraph, 10/11/19)

 

Home Office estimates indicate 13,000 people are enslaved in Britain, and 702 potential Vietnamese victims were referred to the National Referral Mechanism in 2018, but actual numbers could be far higher.

“We’re only looking at the tip of the iceberg,” says Dame Sara. “The trajectory is definitely on the way up and accelerating.” Referrals of potential child victims of modern slavery made by councils in England have soared by 800 per cent in five years, according to a recent assessment of National Crime Agency figures by the Local Government Association.

 

You can read the full article here.