Physical and behavioural signs

No single sign proves that someone is a victim of modern slavery. What you are looking for is a pattern, several indicators together, or one strong indicator that has no innocent explanation.

Physical signs

• Appearing malnourished, exhausted, or unkempt, especially compared with the work they are doing.
• Untreated injuries, or injuries that do not fit the explanation given.
• Wearing the same clothes every day, or clothing unsuitable for the work or the weather, such as no protective equipment on a construction site.
• Signs of living at the workplace, for example bedding visible in a back room.

Behavioural signs

• Appearing anxious, withdrawn, or frightened, particularly around a specific person.
• Avoiding eye contact and reluctance to talk to strangers, customers, or officials.
• Someone else speaking for them, answering questions on their behalf, or insisting on being present whenever they are spoken to.
• Not carrying their own identity documents, or saying someone else "looks after" their passport.
• Little or no knowledge of their own address, or of the area where they live and work.
• Never being alone: dropped off and collected from work in groups, often at unusual hours, in the same vehicle.
• Having no money of their own despite working long hours, or being unable to make simple decisions such as taking a break.

Reading the pattern

Any one of these can have an ordinary explanation. A shy new starter is not a slavery victim, and someone helping a colleague with poor English is usually just being helpful. The concern grows when signs cluster: a worker who is fearful, has no documents, cannot speak for themselves, and is transported to and from work by the same controlling individual. When you notice a pattern like that, do not dismiss it. Section 4 of this course explains exactly what to do next.