Britain's Secret Slavery Business

Slavery and exploitation are alive and well in Britain.

I was a slave for 13 years,

doing dirty jobs for them every day and night.

Thousands are being exploited in factories,

fields and on the high seas.

All the labour legislation that has come in that has transformed

England from the 19th century to the 20th century doesn't apply here.

It's been hiding in the supply chains

of some our best-known retailers.

They were brought over here from Hungary and forced to work,

it was forced labour, and that is slavery.

The authorities are struggling in the war against the slave traders.

That was an arrest on... on suspicion of conspiracy, um,

to commit human trafficking for labour exploitation.

But should we be surprised,

when abuses are hidden in plain sight on our high streets?

Work it out - if you're paying a fiver to get your car washed

and that's five people spending half an hour on the car,

how much are they earning?

Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

A gritty creation of the Industrial Revolution.

Workers' rights have changed since then.

But not for everyone here at Kozee Sleep's factory.

Recently closed, the factory made beds for major retailers

like John Lewis and Next.

I'd always heard of trafficking in the news, er,

but I always thought it was an issue that...Interpol would deal with,

not that it would be right on your doorstep.

These charity workers help victims of human trafficking.

Three years ago they were tipped off

that Kozee Sleep was using slave labour.

The information came to us from a number of sources.

The victims were all male. We managed to speak to them.

It soon became clear that workers were being exploited.

The people getting out of the vehicles

and coming out of the factory and back into the cars again, um,

just seemed very down-trodden, malnourished.

One of Joel's colleagues, who operates undercover,

planned a rescue of the victims.

She arranged a rendezvous at this supermarket car park.

They came out from all angles.

They were clearly hiding in bushes over here,

and, um, behind the recycling bins

and they just came forward to us.

The charity rescued eight Hungarians from the factory that morning.

Hi! How are you?

'One of them was Daniel.'

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

'Afraid to showed his face on camera,

'he says traffickers lured him from Hungary,

'promising wages of more than £200 a week.'

-TRANSLATION:

-I was very happy when I was on my way over here.

I thought I can work,

I can earn, I can support my children.

But when he arrived in Dewsbury he was paid a fraction of that amount.

I was told I was only going to get paid £10 a week,

and maybe a few smokes and some food.

And I had to work sometimes 15, 16 hours a day.

Daniel and the other trafficked migrants

were piled high into flats and houses.

There were 14 people sharing one bathroom and one toilet,

and they were all cooking in one huge pot.

The place was crowded, dirty and it stank.

'The traffickers crushed any thoughts the migrants had of escaping.'

They said they knew where my family lived

and that they could get hold of them.

More than 30 migrants were enslaved at the Kozee Sleep factory.

It's just an empty factory

but there's a profound sense of something shameful about this place.

After the victims' rescue, West Yorkshire Police began

their own investigation, astonished to find slavery under their noses.

So this is where... this is the main Kozee factory.

It's a big place.

'Andy Leonard headed it.'

Where were the Hungarians? Where were they based?

They were just behind us. We've just walked past, really, where they are.

You can see the loading bays there, and their job was to load.

Eventually, traffickers Janos Orsos and Ferenc Illes

were convicted and jailed.

But it was the factory owner, Mohammed Rafiq, who profited most.

Do we know how much Mohammed Rafiq was actually...paying out?

We believe he was paying Orsos, the trafficker,

£3 an hour for each worker, so if they worked 60 hours

he would give them £180 for that week's work,

and we know Orsos gave the victims £10 a week spending money.

Multiply that up over the number of weeks,

you can see there's a lot of wealth can be created here.

Last month, Rafiq was also convicted and jailed.

It was a special moment for those fighting slavery.

How significant is it to get the owner of a company?

Very significant. We believe it's the first one in the UK, the first

employer or end user to be convicted of human trafficking in the UK.

Is what we saw here modern-day slavery?

Absolutely, totally, totally and utterly.

It was forced labour, and that is slavery.

John Lewis and Next audited Kozee Sleep.

Both retailers now say the bed maker hoodwinked them.

Stressing their commitment to best ethical practice,

they say lessons have been learned.

So what's being done to stop this scourge?

The Government has brought in a raft of new laws

in the Modern Slavery Act.

Last year it also appointed the first Anti-Slavery Commissioner,

Kevin Hyland.

If you look at the Home Office and the Government's own figures,

they estimate that in the United Kingdom there are between 10,000

and 13,000 people in modern-day slavery at any given time.

The definition under the Act is, you know, somebody who is kept,

turned into a commodity and exploited.

So their liberty is taken away from them, but this is...

A term, the invisible handcuffs, is used,

because actually at one point in the day they could be out,

they could be walking around the community,

and there have been cases where they can walk around,

but actually they have got no life, because somebody may have taken

their documents, somebody may have them under control,

somebody may be saying to them,

"If you don't do what I say we will kill your family."

Today's slaves may not be held in irons,

but they're imprisoned just the same -

through fear and dependency.

Vulnerability is the key.

So... Been...

-St Chad's today?

-Yeah.

Been busy, rushed off my feet, nonstop.

On the face of it, 46-year-old Darrell Simester,

born and bred in Kidderminster, is an unlikely victim of slavery.

Have they got you cooking yet?

-No, not yet.

-Not yet. Why not?

But he is linked to one of the most outrageous cases

seen in the UK.

Back in 2000, Darrell, who is mildly autistic,

was hitchhiking home from South Wales.

A van driver picked him up and offered him a job.

Darrell came on the phone and he said,

"Dad, I want to make a new life for myself down here."

He said, "I've just met these people and they've offered me a job.

"They're going to look after me,

"going to find me somewhere to live and they can find me some work."

No one could have imagined the hellish ordeal waiting for Darrell -

forced to work 24/7 unpaid on a farm.

Exploiting Darrell's vulnerability,

his captors only allowed him limited contact with his family.

Very infrequent phone calls that we got from him.

Maybe one or two a year.

Each year, it got worse and worse and worse and worse,

and then when they stopped in 2008, then it was horrendous.

We can't go to the place where Darrell was imprisoned.

But to get a sense of what he went through, we've come to a farm

in the region.

Chief Superintendent Paul Griffiths,

who investigated the case, accompanies us.

How do you feel being here now?

Seems different, actually.

I know it's a different farm, but...

There's a lot of similarities with the farm in terms of the barn,

-you know, the horses, you know, the trough and everything.

-Yeah.

As you see, there's a trough down here of dirty water.

This is where I used to wash every morning and night time.

-A trough just like this?

-Yeah.

So how would you do that, wash yourself?

I used to get a bucket, put it on the... Either...

Well, I can show you if you want to.

Aye.

I used to put it on the side here...

..like a square bucket.

Wash my hands and stuff all over...

and then get the hose and then wash all myself over

and then rub myself down.

-And you were doing that in the winter?

-Yeah.

'Darrell's enslavement lasted 13 years.'

Was there ever a time when you thought of escaping,

of running away?

I did try and escape twice, actually.

Ended up in...

..Cardiff by the...

I think it was by the train station or the bus station,

and they said, "The next time you try and get away, we'll kill you,

"if you do it again."

DARRELL CLEARS THROAT

All the time Darrell was captive, his parents Tony and Jean

never gave up hope of finding him.

He was finally freed after a tip off led them to the farm,

but even then, the anguish wasn't over.

Oh, he was... He was in a terrible condition, honestly.

I didn't believe it was my son.

When he walked towards me, I went, "That's not my son."

But obviously, the nearer he got the more I realised it was my son.

Of course, I put my arms round him and hugged him.

You know, I just hugged him and hugged him and hugged him

and said, "What have you done to yourself?"

-"I'm all right, I'm all right!"

-TONY CHUCKLES

But obviously, he's been programmed that he is all right, hasn't he?

You know, that's what's happened.

She always swore she'd find him.

JEAN SOBS

And she did.

'His captor, David Doran, from a traveller family,

'was jailed after pleading guilty to forcing Darrell

'to perform forced labour.'

How long did he get?

He got, er...

-Four and a half years.

-Four and a half years.

I wish he had got the same as me.

-13 years.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

I think the uniqueness of this particular case was, this was a

British national victim who was exploited and abused

by a British national.

I'm an experienced senior investigating officer,

but I hadn't encountered such a serious victimisation before.

-You all right, man?

-Yeah!

-You OK there?

-Yeah.

-OK.

He keeps breathing in.

If this is emotional stuff, I'm sorry to pull you back into it.

But if it's too much, just...

You know, they...

If it's too much, just say it, OK?

-I'll be all right in five minutes.

-You've done really well.

We go to a spot overlooking where Darrell was held captive.

'It soon becomes clear that this place

'still has a painful grip on him.'

You were looking out earlier on on that strip of land.

What were you thinking?

I thought to myself, "Would it... Is it worth going,

"seeing that farm once more, just drive past it,

"and have one more look at it, and say goodbye to it?"

It's not something that I would support, to be honest.

I'm so proud of his recovery so far, that I just wouldn't want

any setbacks from you going back down there.

Darrell's case shows the mental bind that slavery

can exert on a victim.

And we shouldn't be surprised...

..according to Dr Katy Robjant, an expert on the psychology

of modern day slavery.

People go from being physically restrained to psychologically

restrained, so initially people, objectively, cannot leave

the situation, and then over time people become less

and less able to leave the situation, either because

of developing mental health problems,

or because they have lost hope.

So, in a sense, they become locked up psychologically?

Yes, absolutely. I think that what we need to remember is

that when people are traumatised,

their ability to assess risk completely changes,

so where it might have been possible at one point to run

out of an open door, it becomes impossible.

Some instances of abuse by employers fit the label

of "modern day slavery".

Others fall outside this category,

but appear clear-cut cases of exploitation.

SEAGULLS SQUAWK

Take the British fishing industry,

where it's claimed our own immigration rules

seem to encourage abuses.

Hi, Ken, how are you? Darragh, Darragh MacIntyre.

Glad that you came. Thanks a million.

Ken Fleming is a union coordinator, championing the rights

of migrant fishermen.

So, what boat are we going on today?

We're going to go on the... Just over there. Yeah, yeah.

'He says there are many dozens of migrants being exploited,

'chiefly on Scottish fishing boats.

'Overworked and underpaid.'

This is the part of the boat where we will class as a working area,

the factory floor.

We could have anything up to four or five guys working here,

all different nationalities, different languages,

for up to 20 hours a day, in very cold, wet conditions.

And they're living here, working in this particular area,

up to nine, maybe 12 months per year.

'The migrant fishermen come to the UK from developing countries

'on transit visas, with no rights to stay,

'so end up confined for months on the boats.'

Heading down now to the accommodation,

to the sleeping quarters.

It looks cramped enough but, I mean it is clean.

And with four beds, maybe six beds here.

Well, Darragh, I accept it is clean.

But what you have to understand is

that the guys we're trying to assist

are generally here for at least a minimum of a year.

This is their home.

And, to put four or five or one person

in a confined space like this for a year,

and say, you go nowhere else other than to work

is, in my opinion, tantamount to complete torture.

This man, frightened to be identified,

has first-hand experience.

Hired from the Philippines, he wasn't allowed to live ashore.

The boat became his prison. Work his only purpose

-TRANSLATION:

-We worked seven, eight, sometimes even ten days straight.

And then we go back to the harbour to land the prawns and scallops,

and then back out to sea again.

We had no time to rest.

In seven days, we worked more than 100 hours.

In their eyes, they think we're small.

I know we are different, because we are Filipino.

But we are all human beings.

Promised £1,000 a month, he got paid just over £600.

He knew he was being exploited, but kept working anyway.

-TRANSLATION:

-I don't regret it because, you know,

you have your family, and you have to support them

and sacrifice yourself. That's all I want.

It doesn't matter what happens to me because I am supporting my family.

And so I will sacrifice myself.

Campaigners like Ken Fleming say the loopholes in our system

make migrant fishermen ripe for exploitation.

All the labour legislation that has come in, that has transformed

England from the 19th century to the 20th century,

doesn't apply here.

This is the old days. It hasn't moved since the 18th century almost.

And it can't be described as anything else,

it's inhumane and borderline slavery.

The Scottish Fishermen's Federation

rejects allegations of slave-type conditions.

Accepting there are some problems,

it says the vast majority of migrant fishermen are content,

properly paid, and properly looked after.

'Exploitation is all around us.

'You'll find it on your local high street, hidden in plain sight.

'In our love of cheap food...

'Of preening...

'And of keeping the car clean.'

'South London is home

'to some of the estimated 19,000 unregulated car washes in the UK.

'Someone is making money from our passion for a shiny car.

'But it's not the workforce, as these two Polish lads explain.

'Again, it's the same story.

'Exploited men, scared to show their faces.'

-You guys used to stay here, used to live here?

-Yeah, yes, live here.

And was it in this condition?

It's no good for sleeping.

-And how long did you live there for?

-Four months.

'The men tell me they get £40 for a ten-hour day.'

-You know that that is illegal?

-Yeah, I know is illegal, yeah.

You should be getting paid more.

How do you feel about the people who run the car washes?

-Boss ignorant for people.

-Ignorant?

Yeah. For people. Only money. People...

-They're only concerned with money, not concerned with people?

-Yeah.

'But employers aren't the only ones to blame, say campaigners.

'David Ford is an outreach worker who helps exploited migrants.'

-David. Hi.

-Hello, how are you, Darragh.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Lovely to meet you.

People get trapped into destitution when they work at the car washes.

If you look at the way that they're paid, and how they're paid,

and the amount of hours that they have to do, just to survive.

We need to look at the system holistically...

'David believes responsibility shifts beyond the bosses

'to ourselves.

'He thinks we all need to take a long, hard look

'at our own actions on the high street.'

Isn't it better, as members of the public, that we keep on spending that money,

that we actually keep them in some sort of employment?

We support people in destitution by our own actions.

When we go to a car wash and pay a fiver, and there's five people.

The maths, work it out.

If you're paying a fiver for a car wash and there's five people

spending half-an-hour on your car, how much are they earning?

And, every time we pay a pound or a fiver to get our car washed,

we're supporting that.

'The authorities are trying to fight back

'against exploitation and slavery.

'Life sentences for traffickers are included

'in the new anti-slavery legislation.

'And specialist police units are being set up across the UK.'

It's 3:30am in the morning,

and we're on our way to a dawn raid with the West Midlands Police.

'They are in the middle of a major investigation

'into modern-day slavery.'

Basically, we are investigating

an organised crime group who recruits people

and bring them over here, and exploit them for work.

They basically put them to work,

but don't give them access to their wages.

We expect to find an individual

who's been named as a suspect in trafficking who will get arrested.

Potentially, we'll get some victims of trafficking as well.

'And then the team is off.

'For legal reasons, I can tell you only

'that the destination is somewhere in the Midlands.'

There is a sense that police have got what they've come for.

'One man is taken out by police.'

We arrested the person we were expecting to find there.

That was an arrest on suspicion of conspiracy

to commit human trafficking for labour exploitation.

'Then, three other men, his alleged victims, come out.

'One of them has a familiar story.'

All this man knows is he works for a week

and he's given £60 cash in hand.

Now, you and I know that £60 for a week's work is nowhere near enough.

What we need to do is get to the bottom of is, does he feel he is

exploited, is he going to co-operate with our investigation?

But, back at the station, the difficulty

in persuading victims to help the crackdown becomes clear.

-How's it going?

-Not very well.

They don't want any police involvement,

they don't want us to jeopardise them being able

to get the meagre wages that they do get.

A couple of hours ago, I won't say you were celebrating,

but you could reflect on a job well done.

It's frustrating just on a human level to see the exploitation

and not be able to do anything about it.

It's a perfect illustration

of the difficulty policing modern-day slavery

when even the victims can be reluctant to help.

'The number of suspected trafficking victims identified

'has increased by 40% in just one year.

'But that's still nothing like the true picture.'

The chances of a victim being identified

and supported at the moment is, at best, one in four, one in five.

So, you're suggesting that 80% of this crime is actually undetected?

That's an absolutely right figure, yeah,

because a lot of victims are going unidentified

and there's a lot of criminals who are operating

not being pursued, and operating with impunity.

Slavery was abolished across the British Empire almost 200 years ago.

But the plain, if ugly, truth is that it still exists.

Exploitation has many drivers.

Poverty, mass migration, greed.

And even our own desire for cheaper goods.

'The war against slavery may not easily be won.

'What is certain is that none of us can plead ignorance any more.'