Lockdown brings alarming rise in modern slavery

Sexual exploitation rose by a quarter and criminal exploitation by 42% in 2020, analysis of helpline data shows

Reports of sexual and criminal exploitation have risen alarmingly during the pandemic, according to new data measuring the scale of modern slavery and trafficking in the UK.

Cases of sexual exploitation, which includes people held captive in brothels and coerced into prostitution, rose by a quarter in 2020 compared with the previous year. Nearly a quarter of cases involved children.