The number of potential victims of modern slavery in the UK more than doubled last year, with a particularly sharp increase in the care sector, according to campaigners.
Anti-slavery charity Unseen said calls to its modern slavery helpline had identified 6,516 potential victims last year, an increase of 116% from 2021.
In the care sector the number of potential victims increased from 106 in 2021 to 708 last year, the charity said.
It says the care sector has ‘always been an area where forced labour could be present because of the use of temporary labour and the levels of low pay.’
Official statistics released this month showed that the number of potential victims of modern slavery was running at record levels from January to March this year.
Justine Carter, a director at Unseen, said: ‘To be serious about tackling modern slavery in the UK, we need much more awareness of the true size of the problem, better support for victims, and get many more resources going into targeting the criminals behind the exploitation.
‘Instead, the UK is bringing in new migration laws that criminalise some victims of modern slavery, forcing them underground and keeping them vulnerable to traffickers. We should be doing more to expose the extent of slavery, not driving it further into the shadows.’
