India is among the top 20 countries from where poor people are being trafficked into Britain to work in conditions of 21st century slavery, says a major new report that calls for the establishment of a British Anti-Slavery Commissioner.
Indians were among more than 1,000 trafficking
victims found last year, including a significant number of British children, says the report by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) to be published on Monday. The influential think-tank is backed by a group of Conservative party MPs led by Works and Pensions Minister Ian Duncan Smith.
In 2012, India was the 17th most frequent country of origin for slaves, and 15 Indians were trafficked into Britain to domestic servitude, Andrew Wallis, who chaired the report, told HT. “Indians are being trafficked into this country to work as slaves.”
“It’s a shocking indictment on society that society in 2013 wants slaves – a practice that is outlawed.” He said a “lot of Indian nationals in Britain are caught up” and that those who keep Indians in domestic slavery are complicit in the crime.
The 224-page report — It Happens Here — was written after an 18-month probe, during which a team of experts interviewed hundreds of witnesses. It says efforts to tackle modern slavery in the UK are in a “state of crisis.” It also finds evidence of a large number British girls being trafficked within Britain.