Experts reach for the stars to fight slavery as satellite pictures tell all

Researchers target further breakthroughs after using space imaging to estimate number of bonded labourers in south Asia's 'brick belt'

It has been used to identify suspected weapons sites, monitor troop movements, and chronicle war damage and allegations of genocide. Now, however, satellite imagery is being used to tackle one of the developing world's most persistent problems - the scourge of modern slavery.

An innovative programme involving space imaging and anti-slavery experts at the University of Nottingham has established the prevalence of sites in industries associated with slavery, including Asian brick kilns and fishing camps, in an approach they suggest may be applicable to other forms of compelled labour.