Sexual exploitation in Britain today

Stories from the frontlines of sexual exploitation and the fight to support survivors

British women are being trafficked right now. Not “out there.” Here. In our communities. And our systems are designed to keep them trapped.

This morning I moderated a conversation for a collective philanthropy I’m proud to be a part of – Impact London Collective – with four exceptional leaders: Mari Edwards (CEO, Beyond the Streets), Emily Death (CEO, Sophie Hayes Foundation), Emily Chalke(Founding Director, Ella’s), and Minke van Til (Managing Director, Ella’s ). We discussed what it takes to support women out of sexual exploitation and survival sex. What struck me wasn’t just the scale of the problem, but the systemic failures keeping women trapped.

Barriers keeping women trapped

Mental health: the profound psychological trauma that comes from years, sometimes decades, of exploitation. Dealing with complex trauma when your exploitation began in childhood isn’t something you just “fix.” Yet the system creates an impossible catch-22. Mental health services won’t treat women with substance dependencies, and addiction services won’t help until mental health is addressed first.

Housing revealed itself as another crushing failure. Women escaping exploitation are offered accommodation so unsuitable that frontline workers wouldn’t step foot inside. Yet refusing it means being classified as “intentionally homeless.” Even more stark: survivors of modern slavery have no right to work in the UK. They cannot choose where to live, cannot earn money independently, and must simply wait while bureaucrats decide their futures. How do you rebuild your life when the system strips away every tool for independence?

The immigration system compounds everything. Survivors of modern slavery live in fear of deportation, with no control over the most basic elements of their lives. Recovery cannot begin in that state. Right to work. Right to safety. Right to choose. These aren’t luxuries. They’re prerequisites for healing.

The online world adds another layer. Despite misconceptions that online sex work is “safer,” girls as young as 14 are being recruited to platforms like OnlyFans, sold a dream that quickly becomes exploitation. The organizations lack resources to address this adequately, even as perpetrators find victims with frightening ease.

Stories That Stay With You

Ella’s supported a British woman who had been groomed and trafficked since her earliest memories, flown around the world as part of a high-profile network. For five years while still being periodically pulled back into exploitation. Then she ran a marathon with Emily Chalke. That physical achievement gave her the courage to finally move into safe housing. But freedom came with setbacks: perpetrators found her. Yet that attack became a turning point. She finally felt safe enough to report years of exploitation to police. Today, she describes herself as the happiest she’s ever been.

Beyond the Streets supported a woman who volunteered on street outreach after being helped 20 years ago. What made the difference? Simple consistency. Someone showing up week after week with hot chocolate and conversation, treating her with dignity, having no expectations except to see her as a person. She recently decided that working in the sector wasn’t her path forward. And that choice itself represented freedom.

Sophie Hayes Foundation runs graduation ceremonies for their employability program. Full gowns and caps, 80 women celebrating together. Many of these women had been told by the system they had no skills. Through supportive programming, they rediscovered abilities acquired even in exploitative situations and reconnected with dreams they’d lost. Three survivors now work on staff, in research, community coordination, and fundraising.

What Struck Me Most

The political courage gap. There was a brief window when the Modern Slavery Act created momentum, but the discourse has moved far from that. Trafficking and modern slavery get lumped into culture war debates that strip away all nuance. Meanwhile, these small-to-medium charities are filling system gaps that widen by the day, doing casework that extends far beyond their original programs because the need is so large.

The resilience required. Not just from survivors, but from the teams supporting them. Emily Death noted: “We used to run an employability program. Now we’re visiting people in hospitals, advocating for housing, doing a million different things.” They’ve built in welfare days, clinical supervision, and boundaries against overwork, but the pull to do more is constant.

And perhaps most importantly: the women are fun, energetic, full of life. Every single leader I spoke with emphasized that the women they support will make you laugh, fill you with hope, and remind you what strength actually looks like.

What We Can Do

Sophie Hayes Foundation runs conversation cafés where asylum seekers practice English. A simple, dignified space to build confidence and connection. Support that. Help these organizations speak with one unified voice on policy advocacy. Share training on survival sex and exploitation with your workplace. Talk about modern slavery in your communities. Every week, someone learns it still exists and is shocked.

Most urgent: demand the right to work for modern slavery survivors. Push for immigration reform that doesn’t trap people in limbo. Sign petitions on immigration. Understand that recovery cannot begin while someone lives in terror of deportation, with no control over their own future.

This isn’t someone else’s problem. British women from middle-class homes are being trafficked. Women who look just like us, whose stories go untold because they don’t fit the expected profile. The question isn’t whether modern slavery exists in our communities. It’s whether we’re ready to face the uncomfortable truth that our broken systems perpetuate it. And whether we’ll demand the political courage to change that.