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frequently asked questions for members of the public

If you think someone might be experiencing exploitation

This page answers common questions about the Helpline, how it works, and how you can safely get advice, support, or report concerns.

A person is considered a victim of modern slavery, servitude or forced or compulsory labour if they are forced to provide a service for the benefit of their exploiter. The benefit to the exploiter could be monetary or in kind. It could range from forcing someone into criminal activity like cultivating or selling drugs or forcing someone into sex work, labour or domestic work.

Modern slavery is a very serious crime, which can take many forms. This can include sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, domestic servitude, forced labour, as well as less common forms such as organ harvesting, financial exploitation, forced surrogacy and more.

Human trafficking is where a person is recruited or moved into a situation of modern slavery through deception or coercion. The terms ‘modern slavery’ and ‘human trafficking’ are often used interchangeably.

If someone has been forced to work, provide services or commit a crime against their will, they may have experienced modern slavery.

Here are some resources you may find useful:

The Helpline is an independent service operated by the charity Unseen UK. While the Helpline is not part of the police or Government, we do work closely with law enforcement and government agencies to aid investigation into modern slavery or to help people who have experienced modern slavery to access ongoing support from the government.

Helpline staff will assess the reported situation for indicators of modern slavery. We may contact you by email or from a private number if we require further information. The Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline is an independent service operated by a charity and does not have investigatory powers, therefore if we identify indicators of modern slavery, we may refer the information on to law enforcement or another appropriate agency to investigate.

If you are happy for Helpline staff to contact you for further information, and for us to share your details with law enforcement that we may refer the information to, this can aid investigation.

If you do not want your details to be shared with law enforcement, you can make a report confidentially. This means Helpline staff can contact you for further information, however, we will not share your details with other agencies we may refer the information on to. The exception to this is if you report a situation relating to a child or where there is immediate risk to life, in which case we may pass on your details to police to aid investigation.

Alternatively, you can let Helpline staff know that you wish to remain anonymous. You can report a situation without sharing your name or contact details with us.

The Helpline is a UK-wide service and can therefore only provide advice and information relating to the UK. Many countries operate similar services that may be able to offer more appropriate support. In some cases, the Helpline can refer information to UK law enforcement who may be able to pass it on to police colleagues abroad, however this is not always possible.

Here are some resources you may find useful:

The Helpline does not have capacity to keep you updated on the status of your report. We will only contact you if further information is required.

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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.