LGBTQ people in the UK face heightened risk of modern slavery
Vulnerable queer people are more likely to be victims of people trafficking and other crimes.
According to the charity Causeway, it's estimated that over 50 million people around the world are currently trapped in modern slavery, with more than 100,000 of those in the UK.
The term "modern slavery" is used to describe situations where vulnerable people are being subjected to sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, criminal exploitation, or domestic servitude.
Causeway are one of the largest providers of modern slavery support in the UK, and their current campaign highlights how LGBTQ people are particularly vulnerable.
Queer people may be at risk due to a range of factors, such as homelessness, mental health issues, or violence and abuse.
An added layer of risk for LGBTQ people is that there are over 60 countries that criminalise homosexuality. In countries where a person’s sexuality puts them in danger, traffickers can use this fear of exposure to coerce their victims into performing sexual acts or into forced labour. They will often then use the fear of arrest to silence them and prevent them from seeking help.
Trafficking gangs will often seek out people without support networks, who are poor, homeless, marginalised, or desperate. LGBTQ people who have had to flee difficult or unsafe situations can often fall into these categories.
Causeway works to support the survivors of modern slavery.
For our podcast, How To Date Men, we caught up with Matt Jameson to talk about the dangers of modern slavery and how Causeway works to support survivors.
“Causeway support some of the most vulnerable and marginalised people in society..." said Matt. "The modern slavery survivors they work with have often been through unimaginable and horrific experiences. LGBTQ+ people can have a disproportionate risk of being exploited and targeted by traffickers, both in the UK and around the world. Shining a spotlight on this and what many people across the LGBTQ+ community have faced is something I’m both proud to be doing, but also something I feel is essential to raise awareness around this and begin driving vital change.”
For more information and to support the campaign, visit Causeway's website.
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