Spotting Domestic Servitude in Urban Settings: A Guide for Professionals

Domestic servitude still remains one of the most concealed forms of modern slavery, often hidden within the homes of traffickers in bustling urban areas. In cities, where the scale and diversity of communities provide traffickers with relative anonymity, victims are often isolated and controlled, kept away from public view. This presents unique challenges for safeguarding professionals and other agencies, such as the police, who play a vital role in detection and intervention. Developing innovative approaches to spot signs of domestic servitude and collaborating across professional boundaries are essential steps towards uncovering these hidden abuses and supporting victims effectively.

Urban examples of domestic servitude cases demonstrate just how challenging identification can be. A recent example of domestic servitude in the UK involved a wealthy landlady who held a vulnerable woman in servitude for 16 years. The trafficker controlled every aspect of the victim’s life, including her finances, passport and freedom. The victim was forced to cook, clean and care for the trafficker’s children, without pay. Additionally, bank accounts were opened in the victim’s name to control any benefits and finances that could be exploited. After being jailed in late 2022, the trafficker was later forced by a court order to pay back nearly £200,000 to the victim, highlighting the financial control and exploitation common in domestic servitude cases.

This case illustrates how domestic servitude remains hidden within private households and underscores the need for both the public and authorities to recognise the signs, such as isolation from society, limited access to personal identification and absence of financial independence. Efforts from organisations and law enforcement have also shown that identifying such victims early and providing robust legal redress and reparations are critical in combating this form of exploitation in the UK and further afield.

Police officers are often the first responders to incidents and disturbances, making them pivotal in the early identification of potential domestic servitude cases. Training officers to recognise the subtle signs of coercion and control, such as individuals displaying fear, reluctance to speak freely, or appearing isolated and overly dependent on others, can enable them to spot potential victims even during routine visits to residential addresses. Police can also collaborate with safeguarding teams to identify properties with recurring disturbances, which might indicate forced labour or other exploitation within the household. Incorporating modern slavery-specific protocols into police welfare checks or domestic disturbance calls can strengthen intervention efforts and ensure that officers are alert to signs of domestic servitude.

An innovative approach that police and safeguarding professionals could implement together is to create a “Neighbourhood Engagement Programme” specifically targeting domestic servitude awareness. By working with neighbourhood watch groups, resident associations and local businesses, police and safeguarding teams could provide training and information sessions to local residents, teaching them how to recognise signs of exploitation in their own communities. Simple indicators, such as a person never being seen alone, having visibly restricted freedom of movement, or lacking personal items, are tell-tale signs that may otherwise go unnoticed. By building a network of vigilance and offering community members a confidential reporting channel, safeguarding and police teams can create an informal support system that bridges the gap between hidden victims and accessible services.

For health and public service professionals, especially those who make home visits, providing brief, targeted training on domestic servitude can also be invaluable. Social workers, housing officers, health visitors and delivery personnel may unknowingly interact with victims or exploiters. Recognising behaviours like visible distress, inability to answer questions directly, or deferring excessively to someone else during visits could help professionals identify those who might be under control. Housing associations should ensure that maintenance workers are aware of the signs of domestic servitude in order that they can report suspected exploitation.

Victims of domestic servitude are often isolated by cultural and language barriers, making it difficult for them to reach out for help. One way to circumvent these barriers is by displaying simple, multilingual posters or discreet cards with QR codes in public spaces, like GP clinics, libraries, or community centres. These QR codes could lead to resources explaining the rights of domestic workers and the confidential support services available to them. To make these accessible to victims under tight control, authorities could also experiment with placing scannable posters in unexpected, neutral locations like car parks, public toilets and grocery store bulletin boards, where victims might encounter them unnoticed.

For safeguarding professionals and police teams, supporting identified victims before they enter the NRM is vital to establishing trust and ensuring safety. If there are delays in accessing the NRM, professionals should secure immediate safe accommodation, healthcare and legal assistance for victims, with police facilitating safe transportation if necessary. By offering victims access to emergency support, such as mental health services and trauma counselling, professionals can begin addressing the complex trauma often experienced by those held in domestic servitude. The NRM is crucial in providing long-term support, but for many victims, immediate compassionate engagement with safeguarding and police professionals is the first step towards a life free from exploitation.

Children in domestic servitude are among the most vulnerable victims of modern slavery, often hidden within homes where they are forced to work in extreme conditions and deprived of a normal childhood. Unlike adult victims, children in servitude may struggle even more to recognise their own exploitation, especially if they have been trafficked into these roles at a young age or manipulated into believing they “owe” their traffickers. This makes identifying child victims of domestic servitude especially challenging for safeguarding professionals, teachers, health workers, and community members alike. Innovative approaches that reach into typically inaccessible areas and utilise the latest technology can be instrumental in detecting and supporting these young victims.

In urban settings, children in domestic servitude are often isolated from the community and kept away from school or social groups. However, there are subtle indicators that can emerge, even in limited interactions. For example, children who are occasionally seen outside the home may appear withdrawn, fearful, or overly submissive, especially around adults. Professionals who encounter children during home visits—for instance, healthcare or social workers—should be aware of cues that suggest control or neglect, such as malnourishment, limited access to personal items, or a lack of age-appropriate clothing. Some children may exhibit signs of physical strain or injury from long hours of physical labour, which may be visible during routine health check-ups or if they visit local clinics.

One potential identification tactic is to incorporate child-friendly interviews during school enrolment and community outreach programs, where professionals trained in trauma-informed approaches can detect signs of exploitation. In areas with large migrant populations, schools could offer regular drop-in sessions for new students to address their wellbeing and integration. These sessions could include non-intrusive, confidential questions designed to uncover children’s living situations and any hidden responsibilities at home. For children not attending school, healthcare services could serve as vital contact points, training paediatricians to spot symptoms consistent with domestic servitude, such as delayed physical growth, untreated injuries, or psychological distress.

By employing a combination of innovative technology, community engagement, professional training and cross-agency collaboration, police and safeguarding professionals can work more effectively to bring cases of domestic servitude out of the shadows. In urban areas, where traffickers rely on anonymity and isolation to exploit their victims, these efforts are essential to recognising, rescuing and rehabilitating those enduring one of the most hidden forms of modern slavery.