The Independent

Qatar Poised to Abolish the Kafala System in Two Months

Qatar is promising to abolish the kafala system in time for the World Cup in 2022 and usher in major migrant labor reforms according [...]

“We See a Surge in Trafficking Each Time a New iPhone is Released”

Social media is a double-edged sword in much of the developing world, a market that has helped social media giants reap tremendous [...]

UK Backs Ad Campaign to Stop Nigerian Women from Migrating

The UK government is endorsing a new ad campaign aimed at stopping Nigerian women from migrating to Britain. It’s a controversial [...]

As we recognize health workers as heroes, we cannot forget those who make their gloves

The doctors, nurses, and care workers of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) have been rightfully lauded as heroes during the [...]

Campaign success as Mastercard and Visa step away from Pornhub

Trigger warning: this article has descriptions of child sexual abuse that may be upsetting for some readers. Two of the world’s largest [...]

1,000 survivors in the U.K. gain financial independence thanks to HSBC

HSBC U.K. continues to provide a model to other banking institutions with its trafficking survivor services or ‘Survivor Bank’. [...]

Flawed sponsorship scheme for Ukrainian refugees could drive exploitation

This week, the Homes for Ukraine scheme launched in the U.K. The program will allow people in the U.K. to offer their homes to [...]

U.K. migration plan will harm victims and benefit traffickers, says former watchdog

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to deport people arriving in the U.K. in small boats will see thousands of trafficking victims [...]

Indonesian fishermen sue Bumble Bee, alleging forced labor at sea

Four Indonesian fishermen are suing U.S.-based seafood giant Bumble Bee. They allege they were trapped on Chinese-owned vessels, [...]

Thousands Call On Home Office To Let Stephen Stay

Twenty-nine leading anti-trafficking organizations are urging the UK Home Office to reconsider its refusal to grant asylum to Stephen [...]

Brexit Spells Trouble for Non-EU Seasonal Workers

Campaigners are warning the the government’s plan to recruit thousands of temporary migrant workers from outside of the EU could [...]

Lebanon’s Labor Minister Calls Kafala System Modern Slavery

For decades, migrant domestic workers in Lebanon have suffered chronic abuses — non-payment of wages, violence, and reports of being [...]

Rights groups call on UK to ban cotton imports from XUAR

The UK should block cotton imports from Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), Northwest China, due to the systematic forced labor [...]

U.K. police not taking forced marriage seriously, campaigners say

Police in the United Kingdom are under scrutiny for their efforts to tackle honor-based abuse, including forced marriage, after a sharp [...]

Strong resistance against policy to deport unhoused people

A controversial policy from the U.K.’s interior ministry to deport people from abroad who are sleeping rough has been met with [...]

U.K. minimum wage entitlement to extend to live-in nannies

Live-in au pairs and nannies in the United Kingdom will no longer be exempt from minimum wage laws. The government expressed its [...]

Over a million call on FIFA to pay up

The 2022 World Cup may be over but FIFA is still under pressure to take urgent action and create a concrete plan to compensate migrant [...]

Couple sentenced to decades in prison for enslaving adopted children

White couple sentenced to decades in prison for enslaving Black adopted children

A West Virginia couple who forced their five adopted children to work under brutal conditions has been sentenced to the maximum prison [...]

“Slaves on Our Streets” Report Launched at Parliament

The Independent’s special report on modern slavery in the UK, part of the newspaper’s “Slaves on Our Streets” [...]

Slash in Aid for Trafficked Asylum Seekers

Victims of modern slavery in the UK are being hit with a severe slash in government aid. While asylum-seekers who were trafficked to [...]

UK Sending Victims Back to Where They Were Abused

The Home Office is coming under fire yet again for what lawyers say is ‘clear incompetence and sheer disregard’ for trafficking [...]

Lockdowns becoming a nightmare for domestic workers worldwide

The COVID-19 pandemic has endangered domestic migrant workers. Advocacy groups tracking the Middle East, warn that the number of abuse [...]

How scrapping the term “honor”-based abuse may leave victims unprotected

The U.K. government is due to review the use of the term “honor”-based abuse, used to cover crimes such as forced marriage, female [...]

Children of modern slavery survivors face intergenerational trauma

“My son was talking and now he’s stopped. My son was born after I had escaped slavery. I was isolated. When you feel so alone [...]