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

"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.

“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

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

"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.

"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.

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

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

“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

"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.

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

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 

"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.

"That wall reminds me of those days when we were in Libya, of the prison I told you about, how we can’t escape. We have to see the brightness of the sun through a hole, and even money cannot pass through that hole. Nothing can pass through it. It’s under the gate and the men give us biscuits, just something that will sustain us for that day. It was not easy. I told you how I was trafficked, how I was being kidnapped. They were asked for ransom to pay back, a huge ransom. It was more than the money that we bring. The emotion of the building, the way that I took the picture, it shows that it’s a prison, it’s where people have been trapped. You’ll just be there, not going out. No food, nothing. So that’s what the building reminds me a lot about. It’s really important, it’s one of my favourites." 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: Okungbowa Osamude, courtesy of Voice of Freedom.

2004 A number of local fishermen were called in by the coastguard to help with the rescue of 24 Chinese cockle pickers that were trapped by the sweeping tides. Within a few hours, 20 bodies had been recovered and only 1 man was found alive. Morecambe Bay holds a 28-mile tide. Locals told the press that the disaster was avoidable had the cockle pickers known the geography of the area. Instead, they were unable to navigate a safe route off the cockle bed. The workers had been imported unlawfully via shipping containers into Liverpool where they were hired out through local criminal agents of international Chinese Triads. Rescues of large groups of stranded Chinese cockle pickers by Morecambe locals had already taken place in previous years, but rather than act as a warning to both gangmasters and authorities, the booming cockling trade meant the industry was heavily under-regulated, so workers could be easily exploited.  In May 2004, the 21st body was washed up. January 2006 Gangmaster Lin Liang Ren was found guilty of the manslaughter of at least 21 people, of breaking immigration laws and for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. Ren’s girlfriend Zhao Xiao Qing and cousin Lin Mu Yong, were both found guilty of facilitating illegal immigration and for perverting the course of justice. They were sentenced to 7 ½ years between them. Business owners of Liverpool Bay Fishing Company Ltd. David Anthony Eden senior and David Antony Eden junior, bought the gang’s cockles for far cheaper than local rates. Both were found not guilty for helping the workers break immigration law.The Dark Figure* is an ongoing photographic project that investigates and documents UK neighbourhoods where victims have been identified as modern-day slaves.

Photo: Morecambe Bay, courtesy of The Dark Figure

July 2015 A tweet on the Preston Police Twitter page raised concern about some young women living at an address in Longworth Street, which was suspected to be a brothel. Further enquiries led to a police raid at the address, where two young women were found and were thought to have been brought to the UK from Romania and forced into sexual exploitation.   Marius Petre, Adrian Matei and Ionut Ion were arrested at the address. The victims, both aged 18, had only been in the UK for two weeks before they were found. They were transported to the UK from Romania by Petre and Matei with the promise of work as maids at a hotel. Instead, they were taken to Longworth Street where they were told they would be working as prostitutes. The girls were forced to perform sexual acts on customers and were told that both they and their families would be beaten if they refused to comply, or tried to run away. They were also subjected to rape by Petre, Matei and Ionut, who were already at the house when the women arrived. In February 2016, Marius Petre and Adrian Matei were found guilty of intentionally arranging or facilitating entry to the UK of a person with a view to their sexual exploitation, causing or inciting prostitution for financial gain and of four counts of rape. They were both sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.  Ionut Ion was found guilty of keeping or managing a brothel used for prostitution and of two counts of rape. He was sentenced to 13 years 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: Longworth Street, Preston, courtesy of The Dark Figure

“Often alone and sad, only religion remained to comfort me.” – Woman from Ivory Coast 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: Loneliness, courtesy of PAG-ASA

"I didn’t have any force left, but I did not have a choice but to carry on.” – Man from MoroccoThis 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: Inhuman Working Conditions, courtesy of PAG-ASA

“Although I had to work everyday for my employer, I did not get a decent place to rest.” – Man from BrazilThis 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: Indecent Living Conditions, courtesy of PAG-ASA