Physical Appearance
Victims may appear:
- Malnourished and starved
- Neglected and scruffy
- Unclean and poor hygiene
- Acutely tired and exhausted
- Be drugged or drunk
- Have incorrect clothing or equipment for the work they are doing
- Under the influence of drugs
Psychological
Victims may appear:
- Fearful or scared
- Anxious or stressed
- Angry or agitated
- Withdrawn
- Traumatised
- Confused
- Unable to speak intelligibly
Isolation
Victims may appear:
- Withdrawn
- Unable to communicate effectively
- Unable to understand English
- Unable to understand you
- To have someone else speak on their behalf
Poor living conditions
Victims may appear to be living:
- At a place of work
- In an overcrowded house
- In a dilapidated caravan or outbuilding
- In a place with blacked out windows
- With no heating or running water
- Somewhere clearly not fit to live in
Restricted freedom
Victims may appear:
- Unable to come and go freely
- Reluctant to leave their situation
- Unable to find or show identity documents like passports, bank accounts
- In debt or dependant on someone else
- Unwilling to handle money
- To have door locks on the outside
Reluctant to seek help
Victims may appear:
- Reluctant to talk to you
- Reluctant to being helped by you or by others
- Reluctant to leave their situation
- Fearful of you or the authorities
- Fearful of reprisal from someone else
- Unable to prove their legal status to be in the UK
Unusual travel times
Victims may appear to:
- Travel at unusual times
- Travel early in the morning or late at night
- Have transportation to and from work provided
- Have to pay for the transport
Children
Child Victims may also appear to:
- Have mood swings
- Be angry, upset and withdrawn
- Show inappropriate sexual behaviour
- Be dressed inappropriately for their age
- Go missing at night or weekends
- Not attend school
- Have unexplained gifts or presents
- Present with extreme behaviours including aggression and withdrawal
- Evidence of sexual exploitation
- A change in the way the child dresses or speaks which could indicate exploitation and/or gang affiliation
- Have missing episodes from home/placement or education
- Have explained items, money, ability to access drugs or alcohol with no method of payment
Modern slavery Videos
Spot the signs of modern slavery
Horse trading - GLAA
Modern slavery - could you spot the signs?
Local Government Modern Slavery