Criminal Exploitation: Modern slavery by another name

The typical understanding many people have of modern slavery involves foreign nationals exploited in prostitution or forced to work in inhumane conditions under threats and violence. Yet the most prevalent form of modern slavery in the UK reported by the Home Office over the past four years primarily involves the exploitation of British nationals, mostly teenagers and vulnerable adults, forced, coerced or groomed into committing crime for someone else’s benefit known as ‘criminal exploitation’. This report, with partners Justice and Care examines the impact of this type of modern slavery on individual victims and beyond reaching their families, neighbours and wider communities who all suffer the result of this criminal and anti-social behaviour. Key among the findings are that deprived communities and vulnerable people are most affected. Factors such as substance misuse, family circumstances, learning disabilities, school exclusion or financial deprivation put people at greater risk as criminals use them to coerce their victims.