It’s not something we often think about unless we have direct experience of it – but modern slavery is, unfortunately, very much still an issue in the UK.
It’s not something we often think about unless we have direct experience of it – but modern slavery is, unfortunately, very much still an issue in the UK.
In fact, the number of people identified as victims of this abhorrent practice has been rising year on year, with over 12,000 people referred to the authorities in 2021 alone.
No county is without its challenges – but Southend Against Modern Slavery (SAMS) Partnership is working to achieve a slavery-free borough here in Essex by raising awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking activity and battling the devastating effects of exploitation. The organisation facilitates vital partnership work and develops and delivers training resources and survivor care for those affected.
It may only be a small help when looking at the bigger picture, but ECOM UK recently donated a brand new laptop to the SAMS partnership. This hardware will specifically be used to help support staff who are working on the Survivor Care Project. This initiative matches survivors with volunteer befrienders and/or mentors, who meet on a weekly basis to provide regular and long-term one-to-one support to those affected by the issue in the community.
Here’s our Managing Director, Lloyd Harris, handing over the new equipment to Dan Pratt, SAMS’ Antislavery Coordinator, a couple of weeks ago.
Dan said:
“We wanted to say a big thank you for connecting with SAVS and providing the Southend Against Modern Slavery Partnership with the new laptop.
“Lily, our Survivor Care Coordinator, was really thrilled with it. She will be using the laptop to help support survivors of modern slavery in the local community.”
You can learn more about the vital work of SAMS Partnership on their website.
It’s not something we often think about unless we have direct experience of it – but modern slavery is, unfortunately, very much still an issue in the UK.
