Truly effective prevention must start in countries of origin to prevent vulnerable people from being exploited in the first place. Often this will mean working in collaboration with international partners to develop effective and targeted prevention projects.
UK agencies must become more effective at identifying and recording details of the regions of countries of origin from where foreign national victims are most commonly trafficked. There must then be enhanced collaboration with partner governments, agencies and civil society organisations to develop effective prevention projects in these regions, with a focus on community engagement and awareness, the development of economic opportunities, capacity building and law enforcement and criminal justice collaboration.
The resurgence of slavery is one of the great tragedies of the modern globalised era but to date it has not received the necessary level of priority or attention on the global, political or development agendas. This is beginning to change.