Up to 20 children are potential victims of modern slavery in Trafford as town hall chiefs in Trafford have reiterated the authority's 'zero tolerance' stance on the issue. Councils across the country were required to publish statements addressing the issue in a move costing Government £36million in 2021.
Modern slavery is defined as the recruitment, movement, harbouring or receiving of children, women or men through the use of force. It occurs on a huge scale across the globe and encompasses slavery, human trafficking, criminal exploitation, forced labour and sexual and domestic servitude.
A report to Trafford's executive committee said they had four cases in the borough of 'cuckooing' - where drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person to use it as a base for county-lines dealing. And there are currently between 15 and 20 children's cases that are under investigation by the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) - a framework for identifying potential victims of modern slavery.
