Charity frees victims from slave trade

Hope For Justice runs operations in the Midlands from a secret location in Sandwell.

The charity supported West Midlands Police in the raid on Chinese restaurant Ming Moon in Wolverhampton.

Today, the organisation revealed it has taken 25 people out of slavery across the region with 20 trapped in forced labour, many of which were working at waste management firms.

Four were enslaved to criminal activity, such as shoplifting gangs, while one was a victim of sexual exploitation.

The figures come after the National Crime Agency said slavery and human trafficking in the UK was more prevalent than thought, affecting ‘every large town and city in the country’.

Hope For Justice has four investigators, an outreach worker and two people who train councils, police and other organisations in West Bromwich.

The charity deals with five types of slavery – sexual exploitation, forced labour, criminal activity, domestic servitude and organ harvest.

The team works hard to gain trust and make contacts in areas modern slaves may visit, such as food banks and libraries, in a bid to get referrals.

Once they find a victim, they are given an option of seeing the police.

But if they do not wish to take that path, the charity offers another route to safety.

Gary Booth, a former West Midlands Police officer and lead for investigating for the charity, said: “Victims often don’t see a way out.

“Some do not speak English and they are told they will be attacked if they go outside their house.

“They are transported to jobs and told they owe debts by their boss.

“Then the idea of telling the police is difficult as for some.

“Coming from certain countries, they struggle to trust authority.

“This is where we come in. We can get them into a safe house at least two hours drive away where they get 45 days of accommodation and help.

Some go back home, some go on to live independently

“Then you have some who will now speak to the police. Then we can go down the route of convictions.”

Forced labour can happen when a vulnerable person is targeted in an eastern European country after being promised a job and a place to stay in the UK.

But when they arrive, a person from a trafficking gang will meet them, house them in a place with several others and then ship them to manual labour jobs, often through an agency.

A bank account is set up and money paid to the victim after several deductions by the slave driver. The investigator added: “Slavery is a problem. We want to raise awareness of it, and encourage people to report it.”