'He gave me a job and took my money': Victim of modern slavery shares story
Our reporter Jonny Blair has been investigating.
A victim of modern slavery has told how he was exploited by someone who offered him a job before forcing him to hand over most of the money he made.
Aron (not his real name) was later able to break free of the situation and get help.
He told ITV Tyne Tees he was befriended by a man who offered him a room and a job after he came to the UK seeking asylum. He'd been persecuted for his sexuality in his home country.
While waiting for his application to be processed, he took an offer of work and found himself forced to hand over most of the money he made.
"I didn't know it would be like that,” he said.
"Even before this guy offered me a job he didn’t tell me anything about how he would take the money. He said 'you can just give me a little.’… But later on he started saying two different things.
"I started realising that this money, when I'm working, it's not helping me. It's not doing anything... That guy later on started asking me for a lot of money sometimes.”
Eventually Aron, whose identity is being protected, ended up sleeping rough before being referred to the Salvation Army for help.
What is modern slavery?
Modern slavery refers to a person being used by a criminal - or criminals - for their own gain. They may be threatened, forced or coerced into practices like forced labour, crime, sexual exploitation or domestic servitude.
In the North East, between June 2023 and June 2024, 223 people were referred to Salvation Army as victims of modern slavery.
This represents a decrease of 8% compared to the previous year. It reflects the wider figures for England and Wales which show, for the first time in 13 years, a decrease in the number of people coming forward to access support (by 22%).
However, according to the charity behind the numbers, The Salvation Army, this is not due to the problem reducing. Rather it reflects the fact that victims are becoming more and more scared to ask for help.
Signs of modern slavery include:
Poor physical appearance - victims may look malnourished or have physical injuries
Lack of contact with others - victims may avoid contact through fear of violence or deportation
Isolation - victims may not travel alone or leave their house or place of work
Absence of belongings - victims may not have any ID or a passport and wear the same clothes every day
Poor living environment - victims' accommodation may be overcrowded, dirty, or unsuitable for those living there
'Low risk, high reward'
The Salvation Army is one of the leading providers of support for affected adults. It says the number of people being helped still remains much lower compared to those trapped in exploitation.
A report produced by the charity found modern slavery remains a "low risk, high reward" activity for criminals.
The charity has several safe house across the region, where it helps victims to rehabilitate and recover.
Craig Hilton, from the charity, said: "The individuals we support lose everything; their identity, who they are, where they've come from. Tortured. Really exploited to the point where they're just a commodity.
"They're valuable to the exploiters but that's it. It's all about greed and getting as much money as they can from individuals. And when they're spent, so to speak, they are literally discarded like you would a packet of crisps or something. It's that flippant, unfortunately."
Through a strong support network of experts, modern slavery survivors are helped to rebuild their lives, physically and emotionally.
"Sometimes you see people who are very broken, very lost when they first come to us," Mr Hilton said. "And then they start to grow and develop and become themselves. Learning to be themselves again. And that's really important. When you've lost everything just to get some ID, for instance, is huge for them... because that's been robbed of them. Their identity has been taken."
The charity - and its partners - have helped nearly 25,000 victims over the last 13 years.
However, for the first time in that period, the number of people being helped has fallen, across England and Wales (June 2023 - June 2024 figures).
The charity puts the drop, largely, down to recent changes tightening immigration laws. It says a subsequent conflation between modern slavery and immigration is making victims scared to come forward, fearful of being deported or detained.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Modern slavery has devastating impacts and the new government is committed to tackling this heinous crime in all its forms.
"We constantly keep our policies under review in order to best protect victims and ensure they are working efficiently and effectively.”
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