Leeds Civic Halls, Leeds Town Hall, Leeds City Museum and Asda house were lit up red in solidarity on the evening of the 18th. Also an exhibition about modern day slavery is touring the West Yorkshire Area.
Councillor Nicola Stewart spoke on the matter: ‘Our community safety strategies set out how we work partnership with other agencies in the city to prevent modern slavery in our communities, to pursue perpetrators and to identify and support victims.’
‘In Leeds, we work closely with partners including Palm Cove Society, Hope for Justice, Justice and Care and Ashiana who provide a range of support to victims.’
She went on to talk about the challenges the council is facing when fighting modern slavery:
‘Modern slavery can be hidden behind closed doors – for example, domestic servitude, or hidden ‘in plain sight’ e.g. labour exploitation. It’s really important that we raise awareness in communities so that people understand what modern slavery is, the sign and indicators that people are being exploited, and how to report it if they are concerned.’
‘Victims will often be afraid to come forward so it’s critical that we do all we can to get the message out to people and communities that help and support is available.’
In the exhibition at Dewsbury Community Hub, the University of Hull noted that they define the 5 types of modern slavery as labour exploitation, sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, domestic servitude and removal of organs (organ harvesting).
There are various signs that someone is being trafficked or spotting modern day slavery. These include their physical appearance being withdrawn or agitated, being isolated and looking unfamiliar with their surroundings, living in poor conditions, having a restricted freedom of movement like having no ID or passport and may also travel at unusual times.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with issues raised in this article get in contact, with the modern slavery helpline by calling 08000 121 700 or visiting the website www.modernslaveryhelpline.org.
