A few years ago I was talking to a fellow dinner party guest, who told me that one of the causes he raised money for was to fight modern-day slavery in the UK.
I was shocked and confused – I couldn’t get my head around the idea that people here were being treated as slaves, and that they were being brought into this country for that sole purpose.
I did some research and found quite a few anti-slavery charities, confirming to me that this was a real issue. So why weren’t people raising awareness about it?
Thankfully, the subject is now well and truly at the forefront following Sir Mo Farah ’s brave documentary this week about being trafficked here as a child and used as a domestic slave.
According to charity unseenuk.org, the number of people in modern-day slavery is around 10,000. But experts reckon the figure is more like 136,000.
But how is modern-day slavery defined? Just to start with – human trafficking, forced labour, bonded labour (where someone is forced to work to pay off a debt), domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, child exploitation, forced and early marriage.
I was shocked to see forced and early marriage on this list, especially as I have seen this practice so much growing up in the south Asian community. Inspired by Sir Mo, I feel it’s my duty to throw some light on these practices.
I expect some people will want to hurl abuse at me and try to shut the conversation down.
Growing up as a South Asian woman, I have seen both men and women – but mainly women – brought to the UK through “arranged marriages”, which are totally legal.
But the line between “forced” and “arranged” is a very thin one. Just because the betrothed have said “yes” doesn’t mean they haven’t been coerced due to family or cultural expectations.
The new lives of some of these women absolutely fall within the definition of “modern-day slaves”.
I believe that those who want to marry should have the right without any religious, cultural or other intervention, so for me the word “arranged” is just as much of an issue as “forced”.
There is a minority in the South Asian community who still believe in putting the daughter-in-law into domestic servitude. I’ve seen many young women brought to the Uk to look after the parents, cook, clean, serve, produce children, and that is their life. It’s the “culture”. It’s what you’re expected to do.
If you don’t, you bring shame on the family and risk being ostracised, sent back where you came from or even being killed. Is it any wonder then that so many keep quiet?
I urge others of my heritage to help victims of slavery, regardless of how bad it looks for the “community”.
We can no longer turn a blind eye to these practices, or our own children could be subjected to the same fate.
