SAIF Golden Charter

Modern slavery: Billy’s story

In 2008, I became a trustee of the Medaille Trust – a charity set up by Catholic nuns to help the victims of human trafficking. So it is probably not surprising then that I have a reasonable knowledge of the issues around human trafficking and modern-day slavery.

What constantly surprises me though is how little is known about the horrors of this evil, here in the UK, by the general public. So I would like to share a little of what I know.

The Medaille story began with a vision to help people and end human trafficking. A simple enough vision, a human vision, and one we can all subscribe to whether we have a faith or not. Annually, the National Crime Agency produces data about individuals who have been identified as potential victims of slavery in the UK. The most recent figures show:

• The top nationalities to be identified as potential victims in the UK are from Albania, Vietnam and the UK itself
• In 2016, 3,085 potential victims were identified
• The National Crime Agency believes the number of slaves in the UK at any one time exceeds 20,000.

The Medaille Trust now has nine safe houses providing 106 beds and support to women, men and dependant children. Tailoring support packages to the needs of the individual, the Medaille Trust is working hard to help these victims.

To put this into real terms listen to the story of Billy – a young man they are assisting:

Billy came from a small village in Romania. Since finishing school he had been working occasionally for cash in hand. He is very young and wanted to help support his family by earning more money on a regular basis. He was speaking to a friend one day who told him about a good job in England working in a car wash. His friend told him that he would earn £40 a day. He told his friend he was very interested and wanted to go.

Billy travelled to the UK in a minibus with other men and was told he would need to pay £120 for the trip; on arrival he was told that this fee had been increased to £550. When in the UK, his ‘boss’ told Billy that he would have to work for £20 a day until the whole debt of £550 was paid off. He was expected to work seven days per week. Billy was placed in a house with many other men who also worked for ‘The Boss’.

Billy recalls the house being very dirty and he shared a bedroom with five others – just mattresses on the floor. He was ordered to pay £100 per week in rent, leaving just £40 per week for food and other expenses. As soon as Billy arrived into the UK he had his ID card taken from him. Billy said he was very scared of ‘The Boss’: “He was a very big man. He was always shouting at the others and I did not want to make him angry.”

After two months the police raided the car wash where he was working. He and six others were found to be victims of modern slavery. Billy’s appearance was described as looking malnourished, scared and in poor general health. He was seen by a GP and interviewed by the police; he bravely gave the police details of where he was living and the conditions. He gave details of his earnings and how he was recruited; it was then that Billy came to the Medaille Trust for care, support and accommodation. Billy has only been free for three weeks and since that time he has settled into the safe house really well.

Billy’s story is just one of many, too many. We will only stop this evil if we start to act against it – one thing we need to do is to examine if we, as individuals or organisations, are in any way creating or sustaining the demand for the services that use slave labour. We need to examine our purchasing patterns as individuals and our supply chains as organisations.

The other thing we can do is report anything we see to the police – emergency phone on 999 or if time allows on 101. If confidentiality is appropriate call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. For advice or information on the Medaille Trust contact: The Medaille Trust, c/o Caritas Diocese of Salford, Cathedral Centre, 3 Ford Street, Salford M3 6DP, by email or by calling 0161 817 2260.