Modern slavery is a complex issue with far-reaching consequences. To understand its impact fully, it’s essential to hear directly from those on the frontlines. On World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, we hosted a webinar titled “An audience with Unseen’s frontline and Helpline teams”.
It featured a panel of experts, including frontline workers, Helpline staff, and senior management, who shared their experiences and insights into the challenges and rewards of their work.
The role of the Helpline
The webinar started with a comprehensive overview of our Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline as a vital resource for survivors of modern slavery and those seeking to report concerns.
“The Helpline is really important for a number of reasons,” said Alice Dutton, the Helpline’s Quality and Development Manager. “We have such a person-centred approach to supporting survivors, and that means that we will plan with survivors what steps they want to take, and we won’t take actions against their wishes.”
Natasha Mitra, Head of Helpline Services, outlined the Helpline’s crucial role in identifying emerging trends.
“We see a variety of different situations,” Natasha said. “The biggest type of exploitation that we see is labour exploitation, so within the workforce. Within that, the most prevalent sector last year was the care sector.”
The team has also noted a significant increase in cases involving minors, with roughly one in ten of all raised modern slavery cases involving a child in 2023. Another particularly alarming development identified by our Helpline was the emergence of forced surrogacy as a new form of exploitation.
Alice offered a vivid picture of the daily challenges faced by the team.
“It’s so hard to give a typical day of what the Helpline’s like,” she said. “They might be speaking to a survivor directly on one call, and then later on, we might be talking to a member of the public who wants to report a situation they’re concerned about. And callers can also have a real variety of needs.”
Life as a caseworker
The focus then shifted to those working directly with survivors. Frontline work is a demanding role, requiring a blend of empathy, resilience, and practical skills.
A caseworker, whose identity remains anonymous for safeguarding reasons, described the role‘s varied nature:
“I think you can go in with a kind of set plan of how you think the day is going to go, but it very rarely ends up going exactly how you think it’s going to. As caseworkers, we hold a caseload of normally on average between about 13 to 15 clients.
“Each of our clients is unique and has a different set of needs and support needs that we need to cater to,” they said.
Building trust with survivors, therefore, becomes paramount. “It can feel very scary for them to engage with a new professional,” said the caseworker. “And you know, if they’ve had their trust broken in the past through experiences of exploitation, […] getting them to engage and see that we are here to support them can be really difficult.
“I think something that we definitely learn in this role is to just take support one step at a time and to move at the pace of the client as well.”
Despite the challenges, the rewards are profound: “I think for me one of the most impactful things about working face-to-face with those survivors is being able to see their journey unfolding before you,” said the caseworker.
“They’ve obviously been through this really traumatic experience of exploitation and of trafficking. But the joy that we get is to be able to learn about them as a person as well, that they have hopes and dreams for the future.”
Challenging the narrative
A recurring theme throughout the webinar was the need to challenge misconceptions about modern slavery.
“I think the biggest thing for me is that anyone can end up in a situation of slavery or trafficking,” said Alice. “It can happen to anyone.”
To effectively combat modern slavery, early identification is crucial. Lauren Saunders, Unseen’s Head of Policy and Research, emphasised the importance of regulated training for frontline professionals, saying: “You’ve got to know the signs and you’ve got to know how to work in a trauma-informed way to support that individual.”
Lauren highlighted the missed opportunities for intervention: “Many of those that we’ve supported over the years have explained that they interacted with agencies at various different points within their exploitation. And individuals within those agencies didn’t know that they were a victim of modern slavery or didn’t identify that there were potential vulnerability factors that might lead to exploitation.”
She concluded, “If those individuals had interacted with people who’d had training, there’s a chance that they would have been able to come through via either the Helpline or frontline services.”
Watch the full webinar here.
How to support survivors on their journey to recovery
Would you like to help our frontline workers ensure they can be there for every survivor of modern slavery?
Our new #ThroughTheirEyes appeal asks you to step into the shoes of a survivor and witness the challenges they face. With your generous support, we can continue to offer comprehensive services like safe housing, skill-building workshops and trauma-informed care to empower them to rebuild their lives.
