Recognising and Responding to Modern Slavery in the UK

Eleven years ago I was in the middle of setting up Hope at Home, a charity supporting and providing accommodation for survivors of modern slavery in the UK when a neighbour and friend who had been coming along to our church asked to speak to me. She explained that she had experienced trafficking, had been referred to a safehouse for survivors and was leaving in the next few days. 
 
I was gobsmacked. And devastated. 

Devastated for her as she shared some of what she had experienced. But also devasted for myself as I thought I would recognise it when someone had experienced slavery.  I had much to learn.  

As the news has shown recently, modern slavery is still on the rise in the UK with the Global Slavery Index estimating there are around 122,000 people in slavery in the UK at any one time. Home Office figures from 2025 show a 22% rise in the number of people identified as victims of slavery – the highest number since the Modern Slavery Act in 2015. 

It often surprises people that the majority of these numbers are British young people – boys and girls groomed and recruited into criminal and sexual exploitation. In adults, we find that men make up 71% and women 29% of the victims and the exploitation can range from forced labour in car washes to domestic servitude in private homes. Traffickers and organised crime gangs are very clever and will adapt their methods quickly.  

But all these faceless numbers are real people in our communities, our churches, our social action projects and our everyday lives. They could be the lady who does our nails, the man who washes our car or the cleaner we see at the neighbour’s house.  

It’s easy to feel disillusioned and hopeless in the face of these numbers. Jesus weeps over every single person who has been exploited and abused. He weeps and he asks us to be the mercy-bringers. The people who act.  

My husband, Jared, and I set Hope at Home up as a response to the heart of Jesus for those who have experienced exploitation. Hope at Home operates a hosting scheme for survivors of modern slavery in the UK. They train and support ordinary people with spare bedrooms to share their homes with a survivor facing homelessness. Hosts have the beautiful opportunity to partake in the mercy of Jesus by welcoming someone into their home and being part of their rebuilding.  

We began by hosting ourselves. It was challenging, beautiful and raw and I have never felt the presence of Jesus more in my own home than when I was sharing meals, kitchen conversations, hugs, laughter and tears with people who have experienced immense brokenness. It was my way of worshipping Jesus and each strange food I ate (octopus, anyone?), each birthday celebrated for the first time, each dance learnt (I’m not a natural at Ethiopian dancing, apparently) and each deep breath I took before listening to another harrowing story was like incense floating up to the throne room of God.  

To date, Hope at Home have provided over 15,000 safe nights for survivors. If you are interested in finding out more about hosting visit Register Your Interest – Hosting - Hope at Home - A Hosting Scheme for Survivors of Slavery and one of the team will be in touch with you. 

Over my years working at Hope at Home, I realised that many people are in the place I was in eleven years ago. How do we even recognise modern slavery? And if we do spot it, what do we do about it? I now deliver training sessions for charities, faith groups, social action projects and community organisations to equip and resource people to respond well. 

My next training session on 14th May is specifically for churches and church social action projects and you can book in HERE. 

My friend is now married and a trained nurse. She’s changed her name back to the one she was born with rather than the one her traffickers forced on her. She’s living the life she was always supposed to live. Her experience will always be a part of her but she is healing. 

The numbers of people facing slavery in the UK are huge and rising. But our God is bigger and he is rising too. He asks us to be his ears, eyes, hands and feet. Let’s equip ourselves to respond. 

*Opinions expressed in guest posts are those of the author, and do not represent any official position held by Jubilee+.*