Hope for Justice intervened to help a family of four from Eastern Europe who were lied to and exploited by someone they should have been able to trust.
The mother and father had been offered factory work in North-West England, along with accommodation, by a family member. They were told that they would be supported to get their children into school. It all sounded like a fresh new start for them and a great opportunity, and they were happy when their travel tickets were arranged for them.
However, on arrival in the UK, it turned out that the accommodation was one room for the whole family. The good-quality factory jobs never existed – instead the father was given some work cleaning up a construction site, but even those wages were taken from him.
The family had to survive on leftover food from the others in the house and they did not have any freedom of movement. They were scared and felt threatened.
After three weeks, they bravely escaped from the house in the early morning, and managed to get to a police station to seek assistance. Hope for Justice was called in and our North West Hub* team helped them by providing immediate food and help with immediate needs like toiletries, as well as contacting the local authority, and advocating for support for the family until they were able to return to their home country. We gave them information about charities in their home country they could contact for help.
*UPDATE: Hope for Justice’s North West Hub is no longer in operation as of 2024. For queries specific to the North West region, we recommend you contact the Pan Lancashire Anti-Slavery Partnership (PLASP).
