Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery

Human trafficking and modern slavery can affect both adults and children, and the signs are not always dramatic. A person may appear withdrawn, frightened, closely supervised, unsure of where they are, or unable to speak for themselves. In pharmacy settings, you may notice these concerns during ordinary contact: a medicine collection, a delivery, a request for over-the-counter products, or a brief exchange where someone seems watched and controlled.^[1][6][9]

Trafficking involves people being recruited, moved, or held for exploitation. Modern slavery can include forced labour, domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, and situations where a person is controlled through debt, threats, violence, or fear. Children cannot consent to their own exploitation, so even if a child appears to agree with what is happening, that does not make the situation safe or acceptable.^[2][3][1]

What You May Notice in Pharmacy Practice

Pharmacy staff are not expected to identify trafficking with certainty, but some patterns may raise concern: ^[1][8]

• someone else speaks for the person and refuses to let them answer
• the person seems fearful, exhausted, injured, malnourished, or unusually anxious
• an address or living arrangement seems unclear, overcrowded, or tightly controlled
• a delivery or visit suggests the person has little freedom, privacy, or access to help

If a person appears controlled, frightened, and unable to seek help freely, treat this as a safeguarding concern even if you do not know the full story.

This matters because trafficking and modern slavery often become visible only through fragments. A person may not disclose what is happening, may not trust authorities, or may be too frightened to speak openly. Small observations made by pharmacy staff can therefore become an important part of the wider safeguarding picture.^[4][5]

How to Respond

Your role is to stay calm, record what you have seen or heard, and follow the safeguarding procedure. Do not confront a controlling person or attempt to rescue someone yourself. If there is immediate danger, urgent action may be needed. Otherwise, timely escalation to the safeguarding lead or appropriate external route is the safer response. Careful observation, professional curiosity, and prompt reporting can help protect people who may have very little opportunity to ask for help.^[1][8][7]

References (numbered in text) Why we include references

1. Home Office. Modern slavery: how to identify and support victims — Statutory guidance for England and Wales. Published 24 March 2020; last updated 7 April 2026. (GOV.UK) Find (opens in a new tab)
2. United Nations. Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (Palermo Protocol). United Nations, 2000. Find (opens in a new tab)
3. Modern Slavery Act 2015. UK Parliament (c.30). Find (opens in a new tab)
4. Hemmings S., Jakobowitz S., Abas M., Bick D., Howard L.M., Stanley N., Zimmerman C., Oram S. (2016). Responding to the health needs of survivors of human trafficking: a systematic review. BMC Health Services Research, 16:320. Find (opens in a new tab)
5. Ross C., Dimitrova S., Howard L.M., Dewey M., Zimmerman C., Oram S. (2015). Human trafficking and health: a cross-sectional survey of NHS professionals’ contact with victims of human trafficking. BMJ Open, 5(8):e008682. Find (opens in a new tab)
6. Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE). Safeguarding resources for community pharmacy (training and guidance for pharmacy staff). Find (opens in a new tab)
7. Department for Education. Working together to safeguard children: statutory guidance (2023). Find (opens in a new tab)
8. Department of Health and Social Care. Care Act 2014: Care and support statutory guidance (safeguarding adults). Find (opens in a new tab)
9. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2022 (UNODC, Vienna, published 2023). Find (opens in a new tab)