Women and girls at growing risk of modern slavery, data reveals

The Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline’s Annual Assessment 2024 indicates that women and girls are increasingly being targeted in cycles of abuse, forced labour, and sexual exploitation.

Women and girls at growing risk of modern slavery, data reveals

The Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline’s Annual Assessment 2024 indicates that women and girls are increasingly being targeted in cycles of abuse, forced labour, and sexual exploitation.

2025 chocolate scorecard: choose ethical chocolate this Easter 

Essential modern slavery webinar: Helpline data for 2024

Join Unseen to discover the latest Helpline data and emerging trends in this free webinar.

Essential modern slavery webinar: Helpline data for 2024

Join Unseen to discover the latest Helpline data and emerging trends in this free webinar.

The power of survivor-led research in tackling modern slavery

Driving change: how Unseen’s policy and research team combats modern slavery

We speak to Unseen’s Senior Policy and Partnerships Manager Hilary Agg about survivor collaboration and using frontline expertise and robust data to shape policy and influence change. The work of Unseen’s policy and research team aims to ensure that the right voices inform change in policy and practice, creating strategies to prevent exploitation and pathways to meaningful recovery for survivors.

Driving change: how Unseen’s policy and research team combats modern slavery

We speak to Unseen’s Senior Policy and Partnerships Manager Hilary Agg about survivor collaboration and using frontline expertise and robust data to shape policy and influence change. The work of Unseen’s policy and research team aims to ensure that the right voices inform change in policy and practice, creating strategies to prevent exploitation and pathways to meaningful recovery for survivors.

Meet the fundraising team at Unseen

Support modern slavery survivors: donate to our Big Give Christmas appeal

UPDATE: The Big Give Christmas Appeal is over for 2024. You donated an amazing £75,241 to help provide vital wellbeing support to survivors of exploitation. You can still donate in support of our work or fundraise for us.

Support modern slavery survivors: donate to our Big Give Christmas appeal

UPDATE: The Big Give Christmas Appeal is over for 2024. You donated an amazing £75,241 to help provide vital wellbeing support to survivors of exploitation. You can still donate in support of our work or fundraise for us.

A call for compassion: transforming support for modern slavery survivors

Construction leaders unite to tackle modern slavery with new awareness film

Unseen has collaborated with 11 major construction firms and labour agencies to raise awareness of modern slavery on construction sites.

Construction leaders unite to tackle modern slavery with new awareness film

Unseen has collaborated with 11 major construction firms and labour agencies to raise awareness of modern slavery on construction sites.

Enhance your corporate image: fundraise with Unseen

Justine Currell

As I came to understand more about the issue, including through a visit to an Unseen safehouse, I knew I needed to do more to stop this abuse and exploitation.

For the last five years of my Civil Service career, I was the Modern Slavery Senior Policy Advisor in the Home Office and led on development of the Modern Slavery Act, including the transparency in supply chains provision and business guidance.

I joined Unseen to lead the development of the Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline, and Unseen’s work with businesses. I am regularly called upon to present at national and international conferences and use my experience of working with Ministers to influence other governments internationally to take action to address modern slavery and, in particular, business supply chain issues.

In my spare time I enjoy keeping fit, music, reading and travelling.

Andrew Wallis

What ultimately compelled me to act was a report on how people from Eastern Europe were being trafficked through Bristol airport to the USA. Kate Garbers, who went on to be an Unseen Director, and I wrote to all the city councillors, MPs and the Police Chief Constable challenging them on the issue. The challenge came back to us: this city needs safe housing for trafficked women. And so Unseen began.

But we never wanted Unseen to be just about safe housing. We wanted to end slavery once and for all, and that remains our driving focus.

I chaired the working group for the Centre for Social Justice’s landmark report “It Happens Here: Equipping the United Kingdom to Fight Modern Slavery”. This is now acknowledged as the catalyst behind the UK’s Modern Slavery Act of 2015. It was a great honour to be awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours that year. On the other hand, I’ve also been described as “the loveliest disrupter you could ever hope to meet”.

This job has taken me from building flat-pack furniture for safehouses, to working with businesses to address slavery in supply chains, to delivering training, raising awareness and advising governments around the world.

When not at work, I enjoy travelling, spending time with my dog Harley, cooking, supporting Liverpool and Yorkshire CC, music (I’m a former DJ) and endurance events such as the Three Peaks Challenge and Tribe Freedom Runs – which I vow never to do again. Until the next time.