Anti-Slavery awareness drive to take place in Ashton & Hyde

Tameside Council is hosting stalls in Ashton-under-Lyne and Hyde to raise awareness on Anti-Slavery Day and modern-age slavery.

Anti-Slavery Day, which takes place every year on October 18, provides an opportunity to raise awareness of human trafficking and modern slavery. It encourages the authorities, businesses and individuals to do what they can to address the problem.

Cllr Vimal Choksi, Tameside Council’s executive member for towns and communities, said:

“Modern slavery is a blight on the world and incredible though it may seem it exists in 21st century Britain.

“We see it in the form of forced labour, sexual exploitation, domestic slavery, trafficking into criminal activities like cannabis farming, and unscrupulous businesses which entice people with promises of good pay and conditions and then abuse them.

This Wednesday (October 18), the council’s community safety team will be at the Wellbeing Corner in Ashton Market Hall and the following day (October 19) at the Clarendon Square Shopping Centre in Hyde.

Both stalls will be staffed from 10am to 2pm, offering an opportunity to learn more about modern slavery and human trafficking and providing a better understanding of how to spot the signs. They will also be giving away some free crime-prevention devices.

“Across the world, it’s believed 50 million men, women and children are victims, and that’s a figure roughly equivalent to the population of South Korea.

“The community safety team stands in Ashton and Hyde are Tameside Council’s attempt to raise awareness of the scourge of modern slavery. Please spare a few minutes to take a look,” Cllr Choksi added.

The number of people identified as victims of modern slavery in the UK has been rising yearly, with more than 12,000 referred to the authorities in 2021. However, the actual amount is thought to be significantly higher.