Specialist officers found and rescued a potential modern slavery victim. Who have lived in a six-foot shed for over 40 years in Cumbria at the north of Carlisle. A 79-year-old man is currently investigated for suspicion of modern slavery offenses on a 58-year-old British man. He was contained in a room with just a chair.
A 58-year-old man was rescued after GLAA (Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority) officers received a call on a confidential helpline. GLAA works to protect vulnerable workers. “The information that was given to us was that he had been kept in the shed for 40 years,” sais Martin Plimmer in an interview for the BBC. Officers also reported that when they found him, he was bewildered, especially when he saw headlights.
GLAA senior investigating officer Martin Plimmer also said that the man was forced to work without any pay since he was 16 or 17 years old. Due to the abuse for such a long time, it will take a long time to get his trust and learn more about this situation.
Plimmer said: “In my long career I have never come across anyone who has been held as a slave potentially for years and this, I think, could be the longest period of captivity that we have a deal with so far….. This is an unfortunate and serious case.”
Even though most of us think that slavery no longer exists, we can’t be further away from the truth. Numbers of suspected victims of “modern slavery” are increasing each year, and authorities are hopefully recognizing that they are dealing with an evolving threat.
For example, in the UKÂ they have a whole agency, which can be contacted by the public if they suspect that someone is being abused or being exploited.
Modern slavery statistics