logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
18m 48s

A story of modern slavery in the UK

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Ayo is a victim of trafficking and modern slavery and tells us his story of being taken from Nigeria to the UK and forced to work.

We also hear from Emily Kenway, a former policy adviser to the UK’s first anti-slavery commissioner and author of The Truth About Modern Slavery, who explains what modern slavery actually is.

Sara Thornton, who was the UK’s independent anti-slavery commissioner until April 2022, explains some of the reasons behind an increase in the number of people being recognised as victims of modern slavery in the UK.

We also explore some incoming changes to the UK’s world-leading anti-slavery legislation, changes that Kate Roberts, head of policy at the London-based anti-trafficking charity Focus on Labour Exploitation, tells us she is very concerned about.

Producer/presenter: Frey Lindsay

(Photo: Child behind wooden crate. Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Yesterday
Taking Stock: China Gains in AI race
Rahul Tandon is joined by Walter Todd in the US and Rebecca Choong Wilkins in Singapore to discuss whether China is rapidly catching up with the United States in the race to dominate artificial intelligence, following a week of sharp moves in AI-related markets and growing questi ... Show More
24m 19s
Apr 7
Headspace: from mindfulness app to military partner
Headspace started life as a mindfulness app. Now it's partnering with the US Navy and investing in artificial intelligence for mental health support.The company's CEO Tom Pickett speaks to us about therapy, the increasing role of technology, and tackling burnout at scale.If you'd ... Show More
17m 28s
Apr 7
Anthropic: the $300bn AI firm at war with the White House
Anthropic’s rise from startup to one of the world’s leading players in artificial intelligence has been staggering, but so in recent weeks has been its row with the US Government.Today, we look at that journey to becoming a 380 billion dollar company, ask why Claude has become on ... Show More
17m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2019
Identifying a victim of modern slavery – and what to do about it
Olivier Roth speaks to Justine Currell, CEO of Unseen, about the work her charity does with victims of modern slavery and the steps that individuals – including solicitors – should take if they suspect they have encountered a victim of modern slavery. 
21m 6s
Feb 2024
#448 | Modern Slavery
In the final part of our mini-series on slavery, we'll explore the unsettling reality of modern slavery, exploring its prevalence and forms in our world today. From deceptive promises to exploitation and control, we uncover how slavery lurks in the shadows, but there are more sla ... Show More
19m 42s
May 2022
Women on the Brink
Azadeh Moaveni talks to Tom about the situation on the Polish border, where women and children fleeing Ukraine face numerous dangers, including kidnapping, trafficking and forced labour. Moaveni describes the way social media has changed the way traffickers work, the dramatic ran ... Show More
41m 45s
Feb 2025
Slave Scammers
We all know a scamming story: Someone rings or texts you, trying to get your personal information or asking you to log in to your account. But what you might not know is that the person behind that phone could be someone who’s been trafficked and enslaved. Hundreds of thousands o ... Show More
29m 10s