Let's Talk Modern Slavery

Warning: This episode contains references to human exploitation and is only intended to be heard by adults aged 18 and over. If you are likely to find this distressing, emotionally triggering or challenging,  please consider carefully how you might want to engage with this episode. We’ve provided links for support agencies in the description below. Stay safe.

Welcome to this week’s episode where I talk to Sophie Otiende.

Sophie has been working in the anti-human trafficking space for over 10 years. Growing up in the informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya…Sophie herself was trafficked.

Sophie has gone on to set up numerous, survivor-led, anti-human trafficking organizations and brought the concept of trauma-informed support to the forefront of the anti-trafficking response.

Now the CEO of the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery…Sophie and the Fund are creating an environment where survivor-leaders and grassroots organizations can build something truly remarkable... 


If you’d like to learn more about Sophie and the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery visit their website at www.gfems.org   

You can also visit Sophie's organisation, Azadi, at www.azadikenya.org

For the full video interview with Sophie, visit and subscribe to the official Illustro Consultancy YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@illustroconsultancyltd


If you or someone you suspect is a victim of modern slavery or other forms of exploitation or abuse, please see the list of support agencies and reporting lines below. 

Your call could save someone’s life…including your own. 
 
Stay safe. 


Support agencies and reporting lines

UK emergency 999 / non-emergency 112, Europe emergency 112, US emergency 911 (A full list of global emergency telephone numbers can be accessed on Wikipedia at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emergency_telephone_numbers) 
UK National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247
Childline 0800 1111
Crimestoppers UK 0800 555111
UK Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline 08000 121 700
Migrant Help 0808 8010 503
Rape Crisis England & Wales 0808 5002222

#letstalkmodernslavery #modernslavery #slavery #modernslaveryawareness #humantrafficking #podcast #podcasting #trauma #survivor #crime #truecrime #doesnothappenhere #onceyouseeit #childtrafficking #police #investigations #mentalhealth #community #movementbuilding #livedexperience #inclusion #awareness #humanrights #freedom

Warning: This episode contains references to human exploitation and is only intended to be heard by adults aged 18 and over. If you are likely to find this distressing, emotionally triggering or challenging, please consider carefully how you might want to engage with this episode. We’ve provided links for support agencies in the description below. Stay safe. 

 Welcome to the first episode of Series 2…where I talk to Tyler Dunman. 

 Tyler is the Vice President of Programs for the Human Trafficking Institute, better known as HTI. 

 Back in 2015, Tyler was a Prosecutor in Texas within the Special Crimes Division, taking the lead on dealing with cases of child trafficking and Internet Crimes Against Children, or ICAC. 

 A chance meeting in the US connected Tyler to the Human Trafficking Institute, who were working alongside the Government in Uganda to develop their capacity to investigate and prosecute human traffickers. Taking a Special Council Position, and a huge leap of faith, Tyler and his wife sold their home and moved their young family halfway across the world to Kampala. 

 After hours of travelling and arriving in their new house, they put the kids to bed…and break down in tears. The reality of what they have done hits them. …and despite Tyler’s vast experience of working on cases in the US, he now finds himself dealing with trafficking for forced marriage, organ harvesting, and child sacrifice. 

 Good decision or bad? Let’s find out... 

 If you’d like to learn more about Tyler and the Human Trafficking Institute visit their website at www.traffickinginstitute.org 

 Watch the full video interviews of each episode on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@illustroconsultancyltd 

 If you or someone you suspect is a victim of modern slavery or other forms of exploitation or abuse, please see the list of support agencies and reporting lines below. 

 Your call could save someone’s life…including your own. 

 Stay safe. 

Support agencies and reporting lines

UK emergency 999 / non-emergency 112, Europe emergency 112, US emergency 911 (A full list of global emergency telephone numbers can be accessed on Wikipedia at: ⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...⁠)
UK National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247
Childline 0800 1111 Crimestoppers UK 0800 555111
UK Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline 08000 121 700
Migrant Help 0808 8010 503
Rape Crisis England & Wales 0808 5002222
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline ⁠https://report.cybertip.org/⁠

Warning: This episode contains references to child sacrifice and is only intended to be heard by adults aged 18 and over. If you are likely to find this distressing, emotionally triggering or challenging,  please consider carefully how you might want to engage with this episode. We’ve provided links for support agencies in the description below. Stay safe. 

For the last episode in this series, I talk to Sam Karugaba. 

Sam is a Ugandan working in the rural areas of Uganda. What does Sam do? For the last 10 years Sam has been rescuing children from being sacrificed. 

In Uganda, and some other countries, traditional beliefs in the power of witchcraft still endure. It is believed that sacrificing young children will bring good fortune and success in life and business.  Children are regularly kidnapped, killed, and their blood, limbs and other organs are used to invoke the power of the spirit world. 

We first join Sam on his phone in the back of a moving van. He’s received information that children are going to be sacrificed. He’s two hours away in a race against time. Sam talks to us for a few minutes then connection then drops. We manage to get hold of Sam a couple of days later to see what happened to the children. 


Kyampisi website https://kyampisi.org/


Emergency and support lines

UK emergency 999 / non-emergency 112, Europe emergency 112, US emergency 911 (A full list of global emergency telephone numbers can be accessed on Wikipedia at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emergency_telephone_numbers) 

Childline 0800 1111

Crimestoppers UK 0800 555111

UK Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline 08000 121 700

Migrant Help 0808 8010 503

Rape Crisis England & Wales 0808 5002222

Warning: This episode contains references to human exploitation and is only intended to be heard by adults aged 18 and over. If you are likely to find this distressing, emotionally triggering or challenging, please consider carefully how you might want to engage with this episode. We’ve provided links for support agencies in the description below. Stay safe. 

Welcome to this week’s episode where I talk to Rachel Bikhole. 

Rachel is the co-founder of Survivors Destiny, the only safe house provider specifically for male victims of human trafficking in Uganda. 

A Prosecutor for over 18 years, Rachel was previously the Head of the Anti-Trafficking division of the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions in Uganda, as well as the role of Deputy Head of International Crimes. 

Rachel explains how traffickers attempt to locate victims before a criminal trial proceeds in order to intimidate them into withdrawing their support for the investigation.

To protect the victims…safe houses are used…secure accommodation in secret locations.  

With no other safe houses for men or young boys in Uganda, Rachel tells us how male victims sometimes have to go back to their exploiter as the authorities have nowhere to put them.

I meet Rachel in one of the victim safe houses in Uganda. The location is secret, but Rachel gives us a tour, describing the layout and explaining why such safe houses are vital in the fight against human trafficking.  

 Survivor’s Destiny website ⁠⁠https://survivorsdestiny.com⁠⁠

 Emergency and support lines

UK emergency 999 / non-emergency 112, Europe emergency 112, US emergency 911 (A full list of global emergency telephone numbers can be accessed on Wikipedia at: ⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emergency_telephone_numbers⁠) 

Childline 0800 1111

Crimestoppers UK 0800 555111

UK Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline 08000 121 700

Migrant Help 0808 8010 503

Rape Crisis England & Wales 0808 5002222 

Warning: This episode contains references to human exploitation and is only intended to be heard by adults aged 18 and over. If you are likely to find this distressing, emotionally triggering or challenging,  please consider carefully how you might want to engage with this episode. We’ve provided links for support agencies in the description below. Stay safe. 

Welcome to our podcast launch event!

Join our audience of international investigators and the anti-slavery community as we hear from the host of our new podcast, Tony Dunkerley. 

Tony talks about his experiences investigating human trafficking and people smuggling around the world and the amazing superhumans he has met along the way.  

Tony and special guest Mina Chiang (Episode #03) discuss the heroes on the front lines, challenging stereotypes, and the complexities of modern slavery.

Tony explains how there are an estimated 50 million people currently held in modern slavery across the globe.

Hidden in plain sight, it has a footprint in the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the buildings we work, and the stadiums we play in. 

With estimated annual global profits of $236 billion (£185 billion), human trafficking is one of the world’s largest and most profitable crimes. 

Economic disparity, conflict, political instability, gender inequality, and religious persecution are all factors increasing the vulnerability of people to exploitation by others. 

The climate emergency is now forcing people into migration and the hands of human smugglers, who in turn force the migrants into forced labour - some within the very industries that are degrading the environment. 

Despite running through every society, many have not heard about modern slavery or human trafficking, or if they have, do not understand the realities of what it is or the extent to which it exists today, right outside their doors.  

As Tony emphasises, many people think ‘It doesn’t happen here.’ The truth is…it happens everywhere. 

Watch the full launch event on YouTube at: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@illustroconsultancyltd⁠

Emergency and support lines

UK emergency 999 / non-emergency 112, Europe emergency 112, US emergency 911 (A full list of global emergency telephone numbers can be accessed on Wikipedia at: ⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emergency_telephone_numbers⁠) 

Childline 0800 1111

Crimestoppers UK 0800 555111

UK Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline 08000 121 700

Migrant Help 0808 8010 503

Rape Crisis England & Wales 0808 5002222

Warning: This episode contains references to human exploitation and is only intended to be heard by adults aged 18 and over. If you are likely to find this distressing, emotionally triggering or challenging, please consider carefully how you might want to engage with this episode. We’ve provided links for support agencies in the description below. Stay safe. 

Welcome to this week’s episode where I talk to Jennifer Wascak.

Jennifer is an American attorney and CEO of Justice in Fashion, an organisation trying to identify and reduce inequalities in the garment supply chain - an industry, like many others, not immune to modern slavery. 

We initially focus in on the labour exploitation taking place in Leicester - yes Leicester in the UK. 

In 2020 an Independent Review was commissioned following a publication by the Sunday Times newspaper, in which it alleged unacceptable working conditions and underpayment of workers in factories making clothes for a large international brand. Alison Levitt QC, author of the report, concluded that although the brand was not directly responsible for the poor treatment of the workers, it knew the extent of the problem and failed to take adequate action. 

We see how Jennifer’ organisation has opened the first community drop-in center in Leicester, offering a safe and anonymous environment for workers to come and share their experiences. 

Emergency and support lines

UK emergency 999 / non-emergency 112, Europe emergency 112, US emergency 911 (A full list of global emergency telephone numbers can be accessed on Wikipedia at: ⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emergency_telephone_numbers⁠) 

Childline 0800 1111

Crimestoppers UK 0800 555111

UK Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline 08000 121 700

Migrant Help 0808 8010 503

Rape Crisis England & Wales 0808 5002222

Warning: This episode contains references to human exploitation and is only intended to be heard by adults aged 18 and over. If you are likely to find this distressing, emotionally triggering or challenging, please consider carefully how you might want to engage with this episode. We’ve provided links for support agencies in the description below. Stay safe. 

Welcome to this week’s episode where I talk to Mina Chiang. 

Mina is the Founder of Humanity Research Consultancy, which strives to improve working conditions on fishing vessels in Southeast Asia. 

 Mina describes how Indonesian and Filipino migrant workers on Taiwanese fishing vessels are forced to work 20 hours a day, sometimes with no wage, and trapped for up to 3 years before being allowed off the boat to go home. 

Mina’s organization was also one of the first to discover the Scamming compounds in Southeast Asia. To put the scale of this problem into proportion, in June 2023, Interpol issued their first Orange Notice, for an imminent global threat on human trafficking into scamming compounds. Also known as fraud factories, Chinese, Taiwanese and other nationals are trafficked to Cambodia and locked into offices within buildings, holding up to 3000 slaves, forced to conduct online scamming across the world. 

We hear how systemic corruption allows this to take place, with the highest levels of government officials having financial interest in the compounds, and how the Laos Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone allows for the Chinese Chairman Zhao Wei, and I quote from the 2018 US Treasury report, “to exploit the region by engaging in drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, bribery and wildlife trafficking.” 

Emergency and support lines 

UK emergency 999 / non-emergency 112, Europe emergency 112, US emergency 911 (A full list of global emergency telephone numbers can be accessed on Wikipedia at: ⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emergency_telephone_numbers⁠) 

Childline 0800 1111

Crimestoppers UK 0800 555111

UK Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline 08000 121 700

Migrant Help 0808 8010 503

Rape Crisis England & Wales 0808 5002222

Warning: This episode contains references to human exploitation and is only intended to be heard by adults aged 18 and over. If you are likely to find this distressing, emotionally triggering or challenging,  please consider carefully how you might want to engage with this episode. We’ve provided links for support agencies in the description below. Stay safe. 

Welcome to this week's episode where I talk to Alan Edwards.

Alan is former UK military and UK police. 

Alan was running anti-people smuggling operations back in the 90s with the National Crime Squad, going on to set up one of the first International Units of its kind based in Istanbul to try and stop the people smuggling networks across Europe. 

Alan talks in detail about the international operations he’s been involved in, giving insight into the harrowing experiences of those smuggled along the routes.

From kidnappings, rape and torture, to trafficking into terrorist training camps….and how Alan and his team helped to bring down Kidane Habtemariam, the Eritrean national heading one of the largest and most violent people smuggling networks in Africa. 

Emergency and support lines

UK emergency 999 /
non-emergency 112, Europe emergency 112, US emergency 911 (A full list of
global emergency telephone numbers can be accessed on Wikipedia at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emergency_telephone_numbers) 
Childline 0800 1111
Crimestoppers UK 0800 555111
UK Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline 08000 121 700
Migrant Help 0808 8010 503
Rape Crisis England & Wales 0808 5002222

Warning: This episode contains references to human exploitation and is only intended to be heard by adults aged 18 and over. If you are likely to find this distressing, emotionally triggering or challenging,  please consider carefully how you might want to engage with this episode. We’ve provided links for support agencies in the description below. Stay safe.

Kelvin was a detective in the UK and worked undercover during the football hooliganism days developing human intelligence sources – a difficult thing to do for Kelvin being a die-hard rugby fan. 

Kelvin actually set up the first police under cover online investigation team within the UK Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, better known as CEOP, and now part of the National Crime Agency or NCA…the UK equivalent of the FBI. 

We discuss how the internet has opened up new opportunities for peadophiles to identify and groom children, to share images and videos of child abuse, and establish dedicated forums for sharing ideas on how to stay hidden from the law enforcement agencies trying to stop them. 

Kelvin talks candidly about the cases he dealt with, the current epidemic of live streaming of child sexual exploitation, and the emerging issue of artificial intelligence being used to create images of child abuse. 

Emergency and support lines

UK emergency 999 / non-emergency 112, Europe emergency 112, US emergency 911 (A full list of global emergency telephone numbers can be accessed on Wikipediaat:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emergency_telephone_numbers) 

Childline 0800 1111

Crimestoppers UK 0800 555111

UK Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline 08000 121 700

Migrant Help 0808 8010 503

Rape Crisis England & Wales 0808 5002222