2012 3 Lithuanians working for D.J. Houghton Catching Services in Kent, visited a nearby Citizens Advice Bureau to ask for help after experiencing severe mistreatment from their employers, a local couple from Maidstone, Darrell Houghton and Jacqueline Judge. The couple supplied chicken catchers to hundreds of poultry farms across the UK, including many of the largest factory farms producing eggs for leading supermarkets and high street fast-food chains. A chicken catcher can catch up to 6000 birds an hour on farms that house more than 1 million birds and work is usually carried out in the dark overnight, to keep the birds as calm as possible. Legal limits restrict how long birds are allowed to be kept in crates awaiting slaughter, so nearly all farms today use agency labour, and will order workers at short notice. The Houghton’s would send their workers as far as Penzance, unpaid, sometimes for only 2 hours work in unsanitary conditions without sufficient personal protective equipment or clothing. Toilet break requests were denied and their destination was always unknown. No food or drink was ever provided. The Houghton’s advertised their jobs online and used a Lithuanian associate to arrange for the men’s travel to the UK. They promised good wages and accommodation, but were immediately debt-bonded on arrival. They were told that once in the UK they were to pay an illegal £350 “work-finding fee”, which was deducted from their wages, along with £40 or £50 rent per week. The accommodation they provided was overcrowded and dirty. They did not have a bed, a shower, or adequate food for days at a time. They were subjected to intimidation and abuse, all the while being severely underpaid. The men were also denied their wages for reasons such as leaving a mug unwashed in the kitchen sink, or if they were seen out on their nights off. 2015. Of the 6 men working for the Houghton’s between 2008 and 2012, 3 have been officially recognised as victims of trafficking for labour exploitation. The Houghton’s were arrested but not charged. They told local media that they were blameless and that the allegations are untrue. The Houghton’s did admit to paying a Lithuanian national to find workers for their chicken catching business.  December 2016. A Lithuanian man is arrested by the Klaipeda County Police in Lithuania for human trafficking. It is suspected that the 53-year-old gained up to £90,000 in 3 years by trafficking his own country-men. In a new legal landmark, 6 survivors have sued the company and its directors in the high court for damages. The survivors won the settlement, worth more than 1 million pounds in compensation for unpaid wages, distress, personal injury and consequential losses. It is the first such case of a UK company being sued for modern slavery related offences.  Ten other claimants are now expected to bring similar cases against D.J. Houghton’s.The Dark Figure* is an ongoing photographic project that investigates and documents UK neighbourhoods where victims have been identified as modern-day slaves. Photo: Wheelers Lane, Linton, Maidstone, Kent, courtesy of The Dark Figure

“Today, medicines help me to survive and forget.” – Man from Iran 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: Ways to Escape, courtesy of PAG-ASA

February 2016 A gang of three brothers, their uncle and two women were found guilty of 55 serious offences, some of which lay undetected for almost 20 years. 15 vulnerable girls, one as young as 11, were subjected to acts of sexual violence between 1987 and 2003 including rape, forced prostitution, indecent assault and false imprisonment.  Karen MacGregor was sentenced to 13 years for conspiracy to procure a child for prostitution, false imprisonment, and conspiracy to rape. MacGregor was a high-profile campaigner on behalf of abused children. In 2013, she founded KinKids, a community support group for kinship carers. MacGregor boasted that KinKids had helped families affected by the scandal. She had persuaded Rotherham council, local Labour MP John Healey and other local organisations to support KinKids in the wake of heightened investigation into cases of child abuse in Rotherham.  MacGregor had been luring vulnerable girls to her home in Walker Street, which was described by one of the victims as akin to the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale. There, she would groom them before pimping them out in order for them to earn their keep. One of her victims described how MacGregor was a motherly figure who had taken her under her wing at a difficult time in her life and treated her like a daughter. Another victim described how within days of arriving, MacGregor had plied her with vodka to the point of unconsciousness before waking up to find herself being sexually assaulted.  New investigation: The conduct of more than 50 officers from South Yorkshire Police who had dealt with the victims across the 20 year period is now under investigation.The Dark Figure* is an ongoing photographic project that investigates and documents UK neighbourhoods where victims have been identified as modern-day slaves. Photo: Walker Street, Rawmarsh, Rotherham, courtesy of The Dark Figure

Voices for Freedom interviews Zoe Trodd, who is the Director of the Rights Lab which is the Unviersity of Nottingham Beacon of Excellence that focuses on research to end slavery by 2030.

Date of recording: 14th December 2018

Voices for Change interviews Todd Landman who is the Executive Director of The Rights Lab, a Professor of Political Science, and the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Nottingham

Date of recording: 14th of December 2018

Voices for Freedom interviews Shayne Tyler, who is the Operations Executive at Manor Fresh Limited, and has campaigned tirelessly against modern slavery since discovering it within his organisation in the year 2000.

Date of recording: 18th of October 2018

Voices for Change speaks to Sarah Kerr, who is the Director of the Modern Slavery Evidence Unit at the Rights Lab.

Date of Recording: 9th of May 2019

Voices for Change speaks to Robin Brierley, who is an independent consultant who works for a number of organisations in the UK.

Date of Recording: 23rd of April 2019

Voices for Change interviews Patricia Carrier, who is the Project Manager of the Modern Slavery Registry at Business and Human Rights Resource Centre.

Date of recording: 5th of February 2019

Voices for Freedom interviews Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping 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

Minh Dang is the Director of Survivor Alliance, and is currently studying for a PhD at the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham.

Date of Recording: 29th of April 2019

Voices for Freedom interviews Kieran Guilbert, journalist at the Thomson Reuters Foundation, where he is the Slavery and Trafficking Editor.

Date of recording: 9th January 2019

Voices for Change speaks to Kevin Bales who is the Rights Lab Research Director, and Professor of Contemporary Slavery. He is on the Board of Directors for Freedom Fund and is a member of the Global Slavery Index Expert Working Group.

Date of recording: Friday 29th of March 2019

Voices for Change speaks to Katarina Schwarz leads, who the Rights Lab's work on antislavery legislation as part of its Governance Programme.

Date Recorded: 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

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

Date of recording: 14th December 2018