Who Is Britain Really Saving in the Fight Against Modern Slavery? | LSE Event

Why It Matters

The analysis exposes how repurposing modern‑slavery laws deepens racial inequities, urging policymakers to prioritize survivor‑led, community‑based interventions over militarized policing.

Key Takeaways

• Modern slavery laws are being repurposed to criminalize drug runners.
• Black mothers labeled “angry” become key voices in policy critique.
• County‑lines victims often face homelessness before recruitment.
• Police strip‑searches disproportionately target Black children, fueling mistrust.
• Community‑led narratives demand shift from punitive to supportive approaches.

Summary

The LSE event launched a new open‑access volume that interrogates Britain’s claim to be rescuing victims of modern slavery. Panelists—including researcher Insa Fakiti, activist Kojo Cheriawa, and former trafficked youth Glo Wilwa—explored how the state’s anti‑gang agenda has co‑opted modern‑slavery legislation to prosecute low‑level drug runners, often re‑branding them as victims without addressing underlying harms.

Drawing on five years of ethnographic fieldwork across working‑class estates, the authors reveal that police practices—such as strip‑searches that are eight times more likely on Black children—create a climate of fear and alienation. The book documents how mothers labeled “angry” and “overbearing” provide crucial bottom‑up knowledge, while Glo’s personal trajectory from a Congolese immigrant child to a homeless 14‑year‑old recruited into county‑lines illustrates the brutal economics that push youth into exploitation.

Liz Fakiti’s remarks on “white‑saviorist nonsense” and Glo’s vivid recollection of being housed by a recruiter who taught him crack‑cocaine handling underscore the gap between official narratives and lived experience. Their testimonies challenge the notion that policing alone can “save” communities, instead highlighting the need for community‑driven solutions and economic alternatives.

The discussion signals a potential shift in policy discourse: if lawmakers heed survivor voices, modern‑slavery statutes could be redirected toward genuine protection rather than punitive drug enforcement. This reorientation could reduce disproportionate policing, improve trust in law‑enforcement, and foster preventative community investment.

Original Description

As Black Lives Matter has exposed the legacies of transatlantic slavery and empire, Britain has launched a new moral crusade at home: the fight against “modern slavery.” This panel discussion marks the launch of Drugs, Race and the Politics of Modern Slavery Law by Insa Lee Koch and asks what this crusade is really doing.

Focusing on the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the policing and prosecution strategies enabled in its wake, the panel examines how young Black and racialised working-class men involved in Britain's street level economy of heroin and crack cocaine — once criminalised under the war on gangs — are now recast as "modern slaves" and their "masters". Central to the discussion is Glodi Wabelua, the first young man convicted under modern slavery laws for a county lines drugs offence. Bringing together ethnographic insights, leading anti-racism campaigners and lived experience, the event interrogates how modern slavery law deepens racial inequality while allowing Britain to deny its imperial past.

Speakers:

Liz Fekete

Professor Insa Lee Koch

Kojo Kyerewaa

Glodi Wabelua

Chair:

Professor Coretta Phillips

#Race #Events #London

Full details/attend: https://www.lse.ac.uk/events/modern-slavery

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