Indian students victims of modern slavery in UK: Indian mission offers help, counselling | India News

“We are very concerned to read this news. Indian students who have suffered through this, please contact us at [email protected], and we will help/ We guarantee the confidentiality of our responses,” Cao Commission tweeted.
In a report released last week, the Gangs and Labor Abuse Authority (GLAA), the UK government’s investigation and intelligence agency into labor exploitation, said: “Five people suspected of recruiting and exploiting vulnerable Indian students working in nursing homes across North Wales awarded a Trafficking and Slavery Risk Order (STRO)… GLAA identified more than 50 Indian students may have been victims of modern slavery and labor abuse in the past 14 months.”
Individuals have been identified as Mathew Isaac32, Jinu Cherian30 years old, Eldhose Cherian, 25 years old, Eldhose Kuriachan, 25 years old and Jacob Liju, 47 years old. They are all from Kerala.
All five people were arrested by the GLAA between December 2021 and May 2022. Investigations are ongoing but no criminal charges have been filed at this stage.
“The defendants are from the Indian state of Kerala and have connections to nursing homes in Abergele, Pwllheli, Llandudno and Colwyn Bay, either by working there themselves or by having a direct family connection with the worker. work in it,” the report said.
Isaac and his wife, Jinu Cherian, also source workers through Alexa Care Solutions, a recruitment agency registered in May 2021.
“Reports to the Modern Slavery and Exploitation Helpline just three months later state that Indian workers working for Alexa Care have not been properly paid or with wages withheld. At the same time, significant concerns have been raised about workers’ physical appearance and the constant appearance of hunger,” the report added.
STRO imposes a series of strict conditions on defendants, including preventing them from arranging work, transportation or travel for anyone and allowing GLAA access, at any time. reasonably, to the place where they live to establish and confirm that the order is being executed. follow.
“We all know that the level of staffing has raised concerns in the care sector for some time and has not been helped by the Covid pandemic,” said Martin Plimmer, senior investigative officer at GLAA. Unfortunately, where labor shortages exist, there is an increased risk of opportunists taking advantage of the situation for their own financial gain, often at the expense of those who do not. labor they are exploiting. Addressing worker exploitation in nursing homes is one of GLAA’s top priorities, and this order is important in restricting the activities of people we suspect of committing slavery or trafficking.”
(With input from agencies)