"Back in Nigeria anytime I wanted to pluck mango, this is how I pluck it. I had a farm from when I was 13 years old. My grandmother gave me the land because no money, no one go to school. So they give me the land. I cleared the land, plant cassava, plant mango. I went there to harvest it, then I sell it and get some money so I will take care of my brother, pay for his school fees. That is why I hold this tree. Anytime I see this picture I will remember. The land was far. Maybe if I didn’t have anything to do at home I would go to the farm, clear it there, clean the farm. I use cassava to make fufu or fry gari. Then I do palm oil. So from there we sold them. After that there is not a lot of money... even the land, if I plant fruit nothing will go well. So someone came in order to help me, so that I can go to school and a lot of things. From there they took me, this person, I didn’t even know that he want to sell me at Libya. Then he sell me from there, then another person sell me." This image was taken as part of the Voice of Freedom workshop in Asti, Italy, working with ten Nigerian women trafficked through Libya to Italy. The title of the photograph refers to the name of the individual who took the photograph, and not the figure therein.  Photo: Omo Colis, courtesy of Voice of Freedom.

November 2013 Metropolitan Police from the Human Trafficking Unit arrested 73-year-old Aravindan Balakrishnan and his wife, 67-year-old Chanda Pattni at their residential address in Brixton in South London. They were investigated for slavery and domestic servitude.  Three women had been rescued from the same residence in October 2013 having been held against their will for more than 30 years. Aishah Wahab, a 69-year-old Malaysian woman and Josephine Herivel, a 57-year-old Irish woman met the male suspect, also known as “Comrade Bala” in London through a shared political ideology, as he was the former Maoist leader of the Workers’ Institute of Marxism–Leninism–Mao Zedong Thought. Rosie Davies, a 30 year old British woman is thought to have spent her whole life in servitude under Balakrishnan.   The women were not physically restrained, but held by subjection to brainwashing, emotional abuse and physical abuse. Police were tipped off from a charity supporting victims of forced marriage. The charity had received a phone call from the women who had been watching the ITV documentary Forced To Marry. In December 2015, Balakrishnan was convicted of child cruelty, false imprisonment, four counts of rape, six counts of indecent assault and two counts of assault. Chanda Pattni, was released earlier in 2014, as there was considered to be insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.  Balakrishnan was sentenced to 23-years imprisonment in January 2016.

The Dark Figure* is an ongoing photographic project that investigates and documents UK neighbourhoods where victims have been identified as modern-day slaves. Photo: Peckford Place, Brixton, Lambeth, London, courtesy of The Dark Figure 

Lincoln’s Inn Fields is home to two of the largest and most popular soup kitchens in London, and is also a well known trafficking hub. Christian: Guys came round, old gypsy guys. They said, ‘Do you want a job? Can you do a bit of labouring?’ I said, ‘How much are you going to pay?’ ‘We’ll pay you when the job’s finished.’ We drive down to this remote place and there’s a shed. He said to me, ‘You’re going to sleep in that shed.’ The traffickers will often wear high-vis jackets and will arrive in vans or cars, aware that homeless and unemployed people will congregate at certain areas at certain times. This provides them the opportunity to make a selection based on who looks most vulnerable. Alcoholics are commonly targeted and are provided with alcohol and cigarettes in exchange for a ride, with no information as to where they are going or why. The Dark Figure* is an ongoing photographic project that investigates and documents UK neighbourhoods where victims have been identified as modern-day slaves.Photo: Portugal Street, Holborn, London, courtesy of The Dark Figure

"I love this picture because whenever I look at her personally I look at her as my childhood friend. There is a friend like that, not she, but they look alike so much. We were brought up together, her name is Dami. The church I attend, her dad is the owner of the church, my dad is the second in charge of the church and that is how they brought us together when we were two years old. Later, her mum and dad broke up and her mum left and her dad married another wife who started maltreating them. Suddenly Dami just got missed—they were like, ‘Dami has travelled, travelled to abroad,’—this and that. Meanwhile, later we find out that they took her to one village for slavery—her dad sold her for slavery so she can bring money. There was no money so that is why they sold the girl." This image was taken as part of the Voice of Freedom workshop in Asti, Italy, working with ten Nigerian women trafficked through Libya to Italy. The title of the photograph refers to the name of the individual who took the photograph, and not the figure therein.  Photo: Sarah Oluwatimileyin, courtesy of Voice of Freedom.

“Living as a slave for so many years, I keep the silence on my pain.” – Woman from Morocco This picture is part of PAG-ASA’s Photo-Voice project, which aims to give a voice to the human trafficking victims living in our shelter. For victims, explaining what they have been through is a complicated and distressing experience; the feeling that words are not enough is often overwhelming. 11 victims worked with us to create these photos. Each picture depicts an image and a message they wanted to convey. Each picture gives a glimpse of their personal experience and shows what it means to be a victim of human trafficking. The victims are present in every picture, both emotionally and physically, as they envisioned and interpreted them. Their stories are therefore an important means not only to raise awareness on human trafficking, but also to transmit a powerful message of strength.Photo: Silence, courtesy of PAG-ASA

July 2013 A 36-year-old Latvian woman arrived in the UK with the belief that she would be given a job on a mushroom farm. Instead, she was taken to the house of Hanan Butt and Jekaterina Ostrovska in Slough, and was then moved to Birmingham where she was introduced to Mohammed Akmal, whom she later married in a false Islamic ceremony, witnessed by Rashid Ahmed. The victim was moved to two addresses in Longsight, Manchester. In the first address, she existed in a small attic bedroom which was locked while Akmal’s family lived in the main house. The second address had metal grates over the windows and she was not allowed to use the telephone or leave the house without being supervised.  The victim was found after she managed to tear off a partial address from a piece of mail and rang her mother who then informed Interpol.   November 2015 Mohammed Akmal and Rashid Ahmed were both found guilty of conspiracy to seek to remain leave in the UK by deception. Akmal was sentenced to one year and eight months, whilst Ahmed was sentenced to just nine months imprisonment.  Hanan Butt and Jekaterina Ostrovska both pleaded guilty to human trafficking for exploitation. Butt was sentenced to two years and eight months, whilst Ostrovska was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment.The Dark Figure* is an ongoing photographic project that investigates and documents UK neighbourhoods where victims have been identified as modern-day slaves.

Photo: Smart Street, Longsight, Manchester, courtesy of The Dark Figure

March 2015 Two Hungarian women, aged 21 and 30, were rescued from a terrace property on Spa Road in Bolton after being trafficked one year previously by the Dardai family, also Hungarian, who enslaved the women, forcing them into prostitution. Daniel Dardai, Ferenc Dardai, Ferenc Dardai Jr, and Melania Kiraly were arrested and subsequently charged for modern slavery offences. Dardai Jr set up profiles for the two women on adult websites. When clients called, he and his father would tell the women what to say. The victims were forced to see up to five clients a day. One of the women told the court that she was made to eat with separate cutlery so she would not pass on any infection. She was given only bread, butter and salami, sometimes only once a day. The women were beaten daily by Dardai Jr and his mother. They were forced to hand over the money they made, which was around £150 a day. They were also told they could not leave until they had earned more money. One of the victims said Dardai Jr had on occasions strangled her for not smiling enough for clients and she had fainted after one beating. All family members pleaded guilty at Bolton Crown Court for sexual exploitation of the women. Dardai Sr, who claimed in court that he had been directed by his sons, was jailed for four years. His son, Daniel Ferenc was sentenced to 3 years in a young offenders institute. His brother Dardai Jr was sentenced to six years. Dardai Jr’s wife Kiraly was jailed for four years and four months plus an extra two months to run consecutively after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit a sham marriage.

The Dark Figure* is an ongoing photographic project that investigates and documents UK neighbourhoods where victims have been identified as modern-day slaves. Photo: Spa Road, Bolton, courtesy of The Dark Figure

March 2015 Two Hungarian women, aged 21 and 30, were rescued from a terrace property on Spa Road in Bolton after being trafficked one year previously by the Dardai family, also Hungarian, who enslaved the women, forcing them into prostitution. Daniel Dardai, Ferenc Dardai, Ferenc Dardai Jr, and Melania Kiraly were arrested and subsequently charged for modern slavery offences. Dardai Jr set up profiles for the two women on adult websites. When clients called, he and his father would tell the women what to say. The victims were forced to see up to five clients a day. One of the women told the court that she was made to eat with separate cutlery so she would not pass on any infection. She was given only bread, butter and salami, sometimes only once a day.The women were beaten daily by Dardai Jr and his mother. They were forced to hand over the money they made, which was around £150 a day. They were also told they could not leave until they had earned more money. One of the victims said Dardai Jr had on occasions strangled her for not smiling enough for clients and she had fainted after one beating. All family members pleaded guilty at Bolton Crown Court for sexual exploitation of the women. Dardai Sr, who claimed in court that he had been directed by his sons, was jailed for four years. His son, Daniel Ferenc was sentenced to 3 years in a young offenders institute. His brother Dardai Jr was sentenced to six years. Dardai Jr’s wife Kiraly was jailed for four years and four months plus an extra two months to run consecutively after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit a sham marriage.The Dark Figure* is an ongoing photographic project that investigates and documents UK neighbourhoods where victims have been identified as modern-day slaves.

Photo: Spa Road, Bolton, courtesy of The Dark Figure

"I took this photo because it’s my shoes. I separated them and if you watch carefully it’s two different shoes. One is rotten and the other it’s a little bit new. It signifies my feet, and my feet signify my journey—one behind and one ahead. The one behind represents back then—Nigeria, Libya—it was so horrible, and that’s why you see that rotten shoe. If you check properly, the colour, the way it is, shows it was so… It’s something that reminds me of so much pain and it’s hard. It has to be behind me. The one at the front is life—this is my current stay in Europe. You understand, it’s a step I have to take: one behind and one in the front." This image was taken as part of the Voice of Freedom workshop in Asti, Italy, working with ten Nigerian women trafficked through Libya to Italy. The title of the photograph refers to the name of the individual who took the photograph, and not the figure therein.  Photo: Stef, courtesy of Voice of Freedom.

"This picture shows I am going through a lot of pains, back there in Nigeria. I lost both my parents in a motor accident when I was 13 years old. I was taken back to the village to stay with grandmum because my uncles sold my parents’ house. Only a male child can take property and my younger brother was too small to do anything. I couldn’t finish my education any more. My auntie came and she said she want to take me to the city to live with her. She woke me up at 5am to clean the house—she just treat me like a slave because she is not my biological mum. She wake me up to do everything, to cook, look after her kid, everything. One day my auntie asked me to leave the house and I went back to my grandmum—we hardly eat, there was no money. So my grandmum came home with this idea that there is a lady in France, she want to come and pick me from Nigeria to Europe so she can help me further my education. Hearing that, I was so happy that maybe I could take care of my younger brother, as he is the only family I have left. My grandmum took me to a park—a man collected us, and that is how I got to Libya." This image was taken as part of the Voice of Freedom workshop in Asti, Italy, working with ten Nigerian women trafficked through Libya to Italy. The title of the photograph refers to the name of the individual who took the photograph, and not the figure therein.  Photo: Tessy Gold, courtesy of Voice of Freedom.

Nigel: They fed me, that was it. That was the only thing they did do, you know what I mean? They said the money would be there at the weekend. I went, ‘Make sure my money’s there, you know what I mean?’ I said, ‘I just want my money. I work hard, I just want my money, that’s all I want.’ Come Friday, I fronted them, they surrounded me – ‘Just get back in your caravan.’ They threatened me. They said, ‘Go back in your caravan or we’ll dust you up,’ they said. It was a bit terrifying, wasn’t it, you know what I mean? I mean you don’t want to beat twenty people. They’re nasty people, they’re just nasty people.Men from 18 to 60 have been targeted from this area and are largely exploited in the block paving and tarmacking industry as well as areas such as agriculture, food processing and factory work.Transcript: Street Slaves, File on 4, BBC Radio 4.The Dark Figure* is an ongoing photographic project that investigates and documents UK neighbourhoods where victims have been identified as modern-day slaves.Photo: Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London, courtesy of The Dark Figure

“Working without protection nor special working attire ; today I have difficulty breathing.” – Man from Morocco This picture is part of PAG-ASA’s Photo-Voice project, which aims to give a voice to the human trafficking victims living in our shelter. For victims, explaining what they have been through is a complicated and distressing experience; the feeling that words are not enough is often overwhelming. 11 victims worked with us to create these photos. Each picture depicts an image and a message they wanted to convey. Each picture gives a glimpse of their personal experience and shows what it means to be a victim of human trafficking. The victims are present in every picture, both emotionally and physically, as they envisioned and interpreted them. Their stories are therefore an important means not only to raise awareness on human trafficking, but also to transmit a powerful message of strength.Photo: Unhealthy Working Conditions, courtesy of PAG-ASA

"Back there at the house I saw how people struggle to survive. There is no work. They are building houses to look for daily bread. Then they have to mix the cement like this. In Nigeria there is no machine. We use hands to mix. This helps people who are working, so that at the end of the day they can pay their money so they can feed for themselves. That is why I snapped this picture to remember how they used to work. I made cement—I was little, when I was in secondary school at the age of 14." This image was taken as part of the Voice of Freedom workshop in Asti, Italy, working with ten Nigerian women trafficked through Libya to Italy. The title of the photograph refers to the name of the individual who took the photograph, and not the figure therein.  Photo: Unity Jay, courtesy of Voice of Freedom.

Voices for Freedom interviews Alex Norris MP as part of the Anti-Slavery Day events put on by the Rights Lab at the Nottingham Council House.

Date of recording: 18th of October 2018

Voices for Freedom interviews Alison Gardner, leader of Slavery Free Communities at the University of Nottingham's Rights Lab.

Date of recording: 14th December 2018

Voices for Change interviews Annie Kelly, who is a reporter and editor at the Guardian, where she leads their modern slavery reporting.

Date of recording: 27th of February 2019

Voices for Change speaks to Bethany Jackson, who is a PhD student at the University of Nottingham in the Geography Department. Her thesis and work with the Rights Lab focuses on the usage of remote sensing in industries that utilise modern slavery.

Date of recording: 8th of March 2019

Voices for Change speaks to Doreen Boyd, who is one of the Associate Directors in the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham, where she oversees the Data Programme.

Date of Recording: 16th of March 2019

Voices for Change speaks to Helen McCabe, who is an Assistant Professor in political theory in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham.

Date of recording: 8th of March 2019

Voices for Change interviews three members of the International Justice Mission: David Westlake, the CEO of IJM in the UK; Steve Webster, the Chief Operating Officer; and Paul Newton, who is an international advocate for IJM.

Date of Recording: 12th November 2018