Police officers work at the scene where 39 bodies were found in a shipping container at Waterglade Industrial Park in Essex, Britain, on October 23. Photo: Xinhua

Slavery was abolished almost 200 years ago. However, in some Western countries that claim to guarantee human rights, actual slave labor has never disappeared. The tragedy of 39 people found dead in a truck near London on October 23 exposed the industrial chain of slave labor in Britain.

Actually, the evil industrial chain has been deceiving people by describing itself as illegal migration and describing "slaves" as laborers. Former British home secretary Theresa May said in 2013 that it was "scarcely believable" there was slavery in the UK and "vulnerable people from all over the globe are trafficked into Britain every day... Most end up working as modern-day slaves, without pay, without rights and without hope."

Human trafficking has been haunting the UK. British media outlets and governments have repeatedly expressed concern on this issue. The UK government passed the Modern Slavery Act in March 2015, according to which criminals convicted of human trafficking and modern slavery face being sentenced to life in prison. The act aims to prevent companies from hiring illegal modern-day slaves and protecting the victims.

Although the UK wished to collaborate with other countries to uproot modern slavery, the number of modern slaves has increased in the past few years. According to the Global Slavery Index by rights group Walk Free Foundation, there were estimated to be 136,000 slaves in the UK in 2018, 6,000 more than the estimated number in 2013. "About 7,000 suspected slavery victims were identified last year, up a third on 2017," according to Reuters.

Why are there repeated human trafficking cases and such a large number of slave laborers in the UK? A combination of historical and social factors could be the answer. First, since many local British are reluctant to engage in grassroots jobs, plenty of job opportunities have become a lure to attract stowaways. However, after being trafficked into the UK, they will lose freedom and start being treated as slaves. The Guardian reported, "Thousands of victims are trafficked into slavery in the UK and kept hidden in plain sight, often working seven days a week for little or no pay in nail salons, car washes, building sites, kitchens, factories and farms." Most victims from Vietnam are forced to work in brothels, nail bars or underground marijuana farms, according to an Al Jazeera report.

Second, slave trafficking in the UK is highly profitable. Labor cost in the UK is higher than that in many countries. By illegally forcing slaves to work, businesses can effectively gain more profits. Many victims have to work under unbearable conditions or for hours with little or no pay. It is also difficult for them to leave, because their documents are taken away by traffickers and they fear retaliation from traffickers. Besides, they also don't want to be repatriated by the local government so they dare not turn traffickers in.

Third, legal loopholes in the UK embolden human trafficking groups. Although Anti-Slavery Day is marked every year on October 18 in the UK, the Modern Slavery Act is not effectively implemented. It does not punish criminals and save victims in time, but has been instead used to distinguish and expel illegal migrants. "It is time for the government to take tougher action to ensure companies are taking seriously responsibilities to eradicate modern slavery from their supply chains," British lawmakers were quoted by Reuters as saying.

What is worse, amid the Brexit chaos, British people's hostility to immigrants has become increasingly evident. Their exclusion of illegal immigrants has also turned the Modern Slavery Act into nothing more than a piece of paper. Obviously, the British government still has plenty to do to combat modern slave trafficking.

The author is a special correspondent of Global Times based in the UK. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn