CAMPAIGNERS have called for more support for slavery victims after it emerged that people of Indian and Pakistani origin were among the most common nationalities being exploited in the UK.
A report by the charity Unseen found there were 95 potential victims of “modern slavery” from India in 2017, which was the sixth most common nationality.
There were 55 Pakistan-origin and 30 Bangladesh origin calls to Unseen’s Modern Slavery helpline in its first full year since it was launched.
Modern slavery involves passport confiscation, little or no pay, debt bondage, isolation, monitoring and physical abuse. Other forms of abuse include employment contract concerns and being overworked by employers.
There were 12 Pakistani victims being mistreated as domestic workers in Britain last year, the third highest nationality, 11 from India as well as three from Bangladesh.
Concerns have also been raised about low-skilled migrants risking falling into slavery in post-Brexit Britain, where a shortage of migrant workers – most of them from Europe – could likely tempt abusive bosses into a race to the bottom.
Madeleine Sumption, of the Migration Observatory at Oxford University, said binding workers to fixed employers in sectors such as cleaning and catering may encourage abuse by unscrupulous businesses.
Unseen’s current campaign Be Seen Be Heard aims to raise awareness by promoting the helpline number, 08000 121 700, in businesses such as logistics and clothing warehouses.
Campaigners said fear among victims of angering their abusers and relatives means many suffer in silence, and the true figure of people affected is higher.
Unseen’s CEO Andrew Wallis OBE told Eastern Eye: “In 2017, the helpline indicated 11 Indian potential victims of domestic servitude, the fourth most prevalent nationality of this type of modern slavery.
“Domestic servitude often takes place behind closed doors in a private residence, so it may be that members of the public, or the police, do not see this crime taking place and are unable to report it.
“Potential victims from India we have come into contact with through the helpline cite family and community relationships or cultural expectations as key factors in their exploitation.”
He added: “Some may not be aware that their situation is exploitative, they may be being exploited through threats or debt bondage and are scared of seeking help. They may also not know who to turn to for help.
“We see potential victims indicated from many diaspora communities in the UK, and the Indian community is no exception.”
Saima Raza, a manager at Croydon Community Against Trafficking, echoed Wallis’s sentiments. She said: “Modern slavery is an intricate crime, it may involve multiple forms of slavery and exploitation, with victims completely unaware that they have been trafficked or enslaved even.
“Often, they may have consented to certain elements of their exploitation, hence feel they cannot be victims. There are others who accept it as their way of life now.”
Raza added that recently there has been a “proliferation in pop-up brothels whereby unoccupied residences are used for a short period of time before the victim and perpetrator move on”.
According to her: “Domestic slavery may be virtually unnoticeable, whereby predominantly children, although adults too, can be coerced and brought to the UK for the purposes of domestic servitude. They may be required to undertake cooking, cleaning and babysitting chores without pay and access to medical or educational help.
“There have also been cases of organ trafficking, people are trafficked for the purposes of having their organs removed and sold on the black market.”
She told Eastern Eye that Pakistan and India have some of the busiest corridors of trafficking in the world, for both domestic and external trafficking.
Raza added that people with irregular migration status are especially at risk of multiple trafficking and higher risk of being re-trafficked post-experience.
“The word ‘vulnerable’ is key here; traffickers seek out people and exploit their vulnerability be that economic, social or personal circumstances such as mental illness, homelessness or less then cordial home dynamics. They make potential victims believe they can help them to overcome their particular situation or predicament.
“Traffickers and slavers can even go so far as to assure parents and guardians that their intent is purely benevolent.
“Certainly, in my work with victims from the south Asian sub-continent, where societies have rather patriarchal structures, it would not be uncommon for an older male, for example, to traffick a young girl for the purpose of slavery by gaining the trust of her family and taking the time to assure them she would be safe and cared for.”
This week, the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group (ATMG), a group of charities, said Britain was “failing to protect” thousands of children from being trafficked and enslaved, and criticised the government for lacking a clear strategy to stop girls being sexually abused and gangs using young people as drug mules.
The government’s approach to tackling child trafficking is fragmented and young victims lack specialist are at a time when a record number of child slaves are being uncovered, the activists claimed.
In Britain, 2,118 children suspected to have been trafficked – mostly trapped in sexual exploitation, domestic servitude or forced labour – were referred to the government last year, up 66 per cent on 2016 and the highest annual number on record.
A Home Office spokesman said the government already had a clear plan to prevent human trafficking, especially that of children.
Last week, the UK government announced a £2 million scheme to help authorities protect vulnerable children from traffickers and gangs who rape them and force them to move drugs from cities to rural areas.
Unseen’s Wallis said: “We recommend the government, police forces, local authorities, businesses and other NGOs continue to collaborate and work in partnership to raise awareness of modern slavery and to provide more support to victims and survivors
of this crime.”
In the first half of 2018, there were 2,185 calls made to the helpline, with 4,124 potential victims of modern slavery identified. This marked a 64 per cent increase in calls and 161 per cent increase in potential victims indicated from the first six months of 2017.
Between January and March 2018, the charity supported a total of 31 people from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
In 2016, Maoist cult leader Aravindan Balakrishnan was jailed for 23 years for imprisoning his daughter and repeated sex attacks on two followers in London. The Indian-born communist ran the Workers Institute of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought from 1976 to 2013 and was sentenced for a number of offences including child cruelty, rape and sexual assault.
His daughter Katy Morgan-Davies waived her legal right to anonymity and told how her dad was “a narcissist and a psychopath” whose actions were “horrible, so dehumanising and degrading”.
The government unveiled the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which introduced tougher laws against offenders.
Safraz Ahmed, a mechanic from London, was the first Briton to be convicted under the new laws in 2016 after subjecting his wife Sumara Iram to “violence, intimidation, aggression and misery” after she came to the UK from Pakistan for an arranged marriage.
Zofia Duszynska, immigration and public law director for Duncan Lewis solicitors, has helped south Asian victims. She told Eastern Eye: “At the root of all trafficking and slavery situations is the exploitation of an unequal relationship and the abuse of a position
of vulnerability.
“This is why we do see victims of modern slavery from India and Pakistan who have been trafficked into all the typical forms of exploitation – whether they are exploited for multiple purposes and kept in isolated environments or kept in a single location.
“Some victims we have acted for have been moved between food production, building work and laundries, or kept in one place working for a single family or organisation.”
She added: “Some victims of domestic servitude are passed between members of the same family or hired out to friends and contacts. Often it is poverty and homelessness, either in their home country or in the UK, which has been the push factor compelling individuals into exploitative situations.
“Sometimes, it is the work of criminal organisations recruiting for cultural or sports trips, such as dance troupes, with the intention of diverting the individuals into sexual or labour exploitation.”
Research in May found that more than 3,500 reports of forced marriage were made to police over a three-year period as charities warned there were thousands more victims living in conditions of modern slavery.
Legal experts said modern slavery laws could lead to an increase in convictions. The national police lead for honour crime, commander Ivan Balhatchet, said: “It is unfortunate to hear repeated stories of newly-married women, often in forced marriages, complaining of a form of modern slavery.
“Undoubtedly, there needs to be much more awareness to detect and prevent these abuses.”
Hailed as a global leader in the anti-slavery drive, Britain last month said it would review its landmark 2015 law amid criticism that it is not being used fully to jail traffickers, help victims, or drive companies to spot and stop forced labour.
Britain is home to at least 136,000 modern-day slaves, says the Australian human rights group Walk Free Foundation – a figure about 10 times higher than a 2013 government estimate.
Donald Trump walks out of the Oval Office before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on June 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
PAKISTAN government has announced that it will formally nominate US president Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his “decisive diplomatic intervention” during the recent military tensions between India and Pakistan.
The announcement was made on Saturday (21) on X, just days after president Trump hosted Pakistan Army Chief general Asim Munir at the White House.
The statement praised Trump’s role in defusing the situation that followed the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, India, on April 22. In response, India carried out targeted strikes on terrorist infrastructure across the border on May 7. This was followed by several days of retaliatory military action from both sides.
The hostilities ended on May 10 after the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan held direct talks. While India maintains that the ceasefire was the result of these direct communications, Pakistan credits Trump’s diplomatic involvement for halting the escalation.
“President Donald J Trump demonstrated great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship,” the Pakistan government said, claiming that his engagement with both Islamabad and New Delhi helped “secure a ceasefire and avert a broader conflict between two nuclear states.”
Pakistan also praised Trump’s “sincere offers” to help resolve the Kashmir issue and called his actions a continuation of his “legacy of pragmatic diplomacy and effective peace-building.”
In response, President Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, expressing frustration over not receiving recognition for his peace efforts. “I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do,” he said, listing his involvement in conflicts across India-Pakistan, Russia-Ukraine, Serbia-Kosovo, and the Middle East.
He added that he recently brokered a peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda and described it as a “great day for Africa and the world.” Despite his achievements, Trump lamented, “No, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize… but the people know, and that’s all that matters to me.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed that his administration helped stop a war between India and Pakistan. On May 10, he said that both countries had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after Washington’s intervention and suggested that the promise of future trade encouraged the nations to halt the conflict.
However, Indian officials strongly deny this claim. Foreign secretary Vikram Misri stated from Canada during the G7 Summit that there had been “no discussion, at any level, on a trade deal with the US or any American mediation.”
Misri confirmed that the decision to end military actions came through direct military channels and was initiated by Pakistan. Prime minister Modi has clearly stated that India does not and will never accept foreign mediation,” he said.
Meanwhile, former US National Security Advisor John Bolton weighed in on the controversy, suggesting Trump’s desire for the Nobel stems from the fact that former president Barack Obama received it in 2009.
“He won’t get it for solving the Russia-Ukraine war. He’s now unsuccessfully trying to claim credit for the India-Pakistan ceasefire,” Bolton posted on X.
During his meeting with General Munir, Trump publicly thanked him for not escalating the conflict and hinted at ongoing efforts to secure trade agreements with both India and Pakistan.
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Yoga Day celebrations in the UK (Photo: X/@HCI_London)
HUNDREDS of people gathered in central London on Friday (20) evening to mark the 10th International Day of Yoga, with King Charles III sending a special message of support for the ancient practice that continues to grow in popularity across Britain.
The celebration took place at an iconic square on the Strand, organised by the Indian High Commission in partnership with King's College London. High commissioner Vikram Doraiswami opened the proceedings by reading out the King's personal message from Buckingham Palace.
The 76-year-old monarch, who is known for his interest in yoga, praised the practice for promoting "global principles of unity, compassion and wellbeing".
He highlighted this year's theme, 'Yoga for One Earth, One Health', saying it reminds us "how vitally important it is that the world comes together to secure a happy and healthy future for present and future generations".
"Yoga is increasing in popularity across the UK year on year, with millions of people in our country reaping its benefits," the King's message read. "Yoga is a powerful means of enabling anyone to improve their physical and mental health and fosters a sense of wellbeing and togetherness within communities."
The London event featured expert-led sessions including traditional sun salutations and breathing techniques, with guidance from organisations including Heartfulness UK, Art of Living, and the Isha Foundation. The evening began with a musical performance by Bhavan UK and concluded with 'Samagam', a harmonious blend of yoga and dance.
Doraiswami reflected on the journey since 2014, when prime minister Narendra Modi first proposed the idea to the United Nations.
The initiative received support from 175 member states, making June 21 the official International Day of Yoga.
"Yoga speaks to a universal language, the idea of the commonality of the human experience," Doraiswami explained. "We all, no matter where we come from, how we look, how we pray, what we speak, our bodies need the same forms of healing."
Graham Lord, senior vice-president for Health and Life Sciences at King's College London, welcomed the partnership with the high commission.
"King's College London shares the values of community, wellness, inner calm and everything that yoga represents," he said, noting that this collaboration reflects the strengthening relationship between Britain and India.
The London celebration was part of worldwide commemorations that saw thousands of yoga enthusiasts roll out their mats across the globe.
India's prime minister Narendra Modi led the celebrations on Saturday (21) at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The event, which spanned a 26-kilometre stretch from Ramakrishna Beach to Bhogapuram, saw participation from thousands of yoga enthusiasts.
Prime minister Narendra Modi takes part in a yoga session during International Day of Yoga celebrations, in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. (PMO via PTI Photo)
In his address, Modi said that yoga offers a path to peace amid rising global stress, unrest and instability. He urged the world to embrace yoga as a tool to move “from conflict to cooperation” and described it as “the pause button humanity needs — to breathe, to balance, to become whole again.”
This year’s theme, “Yoga for One Earth, One Health”, highlights the link between individual wellbeing and planetary health. Modi said the theme reflects the collective responsibility to ensure a healthy future for present and future generations.
He also noted India’s efforts to promote the science of yoga through modern research, with several leading medical institutions conducting studies on its benefits.
“Yoga is for everyone, beyond boundaries, backgrounds, age or ability,” he said, calling for a new phase of global engagement with yoga: “Yoga for humanity 2.0”. He also urged people to make yoga a part of their daily lives, saying it could be truly transformative.
Sharing photos from the event on social media, Modi wrote, “Yoga unites the world,” and expressed happiness at the widespread enthusiasm for yoga across the globe.
At the United Nations headquarters in New York, wellness guru Deepak Chopra led a special meditation session for over 1,200 participants, including diplomats, UN officials, and members of the diplomatic community.
In Times Square, described as "the crossroads of the world", approximately 10,000 people from various nationalities participated in seven yoga sessions throughout the day. Bollywood actor Anupam Kher attended the iconic New York celebration.
India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador P Harish, stressed the relevance of this year's theme during challenging times. "At a time when stress, lifestyle diseases and mental health challenges are on the rise, yoga offers a steady, time-tested path that helps one find calm within ourselves," he said.
The Indian Embassy in Beijing having to stop registrations after more than 1,500 people signed up for their event. Thousands participated in multiple yoga sessions across Chinese cities, including Shanghai and Guangzhou, where 300 people gathered on the banks of the Pearl River.
In Singapore, 300 participants celebrated at Supertree Lawn in the central business district. Minister of state Dinesh Vasu Dash told attendees: "In an increasingly divided world, we need more yoga to bring all of us together."
Thailand marked a particularly special milestone, having organised more than 30 yoga events across the country over the past 100 days leading up to the main celebration. Over 4,000 people performed the yoga protocol in unison at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.
Other notable celebrations took place in Japan at the historic Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple, attended by the spouses of the prime minister and foreign minister, and at UNESCO World Heritage sites in Nepal, including Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha.
From the banks of Nepal's scenic Phewa Lake to Australia's old Parliament House in Canberra, millions joined in celebrating yoga's message of physical and mental wellbeing.
(Agencies)
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Supporters of the assisted dying law for terminally ill people hold a banner, on the day British lawmakers are preparing to vote on the bill, in London, Britain, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
PARLIAMENT voted on Friday (20) in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying, paving the way for the country's biggest social change in a generation.
314 lawmakers voted in favour with 291 against the bill, clearing its biggest parliamentary hurdle.
The "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life)" law would give mentally competent, terminally ill adults in England and Wales with six months or less left to live the right to choose to end their lives with medical help.
The vote puts Britain on course to follow Australia, Canada and other countries, as well as some US states, in permitting assisted dying.
Supporters say it will provide dignity and compassion to people suffering, but opponents worry that vulnerable people could be coerced into ending their lives.
The bill now proceeds to the upper chamber, the House of Lords, where it will undergo months of scrutiny. While there could be further amendments, the unelected Lords will be reluctant to block legislation that has been passed by elected members of the House of Commons.
Prime minister Keir Starmer's Labour government was neutral on the legislation, meaning politicians voted according to their conscience rather than along party lines. Starmer had previously said he was in favour of allowing assisted dying.
FILE PHOTO: Kim Leadbeater reacts during an interview about the Assisted Dying Bill in Westminster, London, Britain, October 15, 2024. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Opinion polls show that a majority of Britons back assisted dying. Friday's vote followed hours of emotional debate and references to personal stories in the chamber and followed a vote in November that approved the legislation in principle.
The vote took place 10 years after parliament last voted against allowing assisted dying.
Opponents of the bill had argued that ill people may feel they should end their lives for fear of being a burden to their families and society, and some lawmakers withdrew their support after the initial vote last year, saying safeguards had been weakened.
The 314 to 291 vote for the bill compared to the last November's result, which was 330 to 275 in favour.
In the original plan, an assisted death would have required court approval. That has been replaced by a requirement for a judgement by a panel including a social worker, a senior legal figure and a psychiatrist, which is seen by some as a watering down.
The Labour lawmaker who proposed the bill, Kim Leadbeater, said that the legislation still offered some of the most robust protections in the world against the coercion of vulnerable people.
Hundreds of campaigners both in favour and against the legislation gathered outside parliament on Friday to watch the vote on their mobile phones.
Those in favour chanted “my decision, my choice”, holding up posters that said “my life, my death” and photos of relatives who they said had died in pain.
Those against the legislation held up placards that said “let’s care not kill” and “kill the bill not the ill”.
(Reuters)
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An Air India Airbus A320-200 aircraft takes off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, July 7, 2017. Picture taken July 7, 2017.
INDIA’s aviation regulator has warned Air India for violating safety rules after three of its Airbus aircraft operated flights without undergoing mandatory checks on emergency escape slides, according to official documents reviewed by Reuters.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued warning notices and a detailed investigation report highlighting the breach. These documents were sent days before the recent crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8, in which all but one of the 242 people onboard were killed. The Airbus incidents are unrelated to that crash.
According to the DGCA report, spot checks carried out in May found that three Air India Airbus aircraft were flown even though scheduled inspections on the escape slides – considered “critical emergency equipment” – were overdue.
One Airbus A320 was flown for more than a month before the check was completed on 15 May. AirNav Radar data showed that the aircraft operated international flights during that period, including to Dubai, Riyadh and Jeddah.
In another case, an Airbus A319 used on domestic routes had slide checks overdue by over three months. A third case involved a plane where the inspection was two days late.
“The above cases indicate that aircraft were operated with expired or unverified emergency equipment, which is a violation of standard airworthiness and safety requirements,” the DGCA report stated.
The report also said Air India failed to respond on time to DGCA’s queries on the issue, which “further evidenc[ed] weak procedural control and oversight.”
Air India, which was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in 2022, said in a statement that it was “accelerating” verification of all maintenance records, including escape slide checks, and expected to finish the process soon.
In one case, Air India said the issue came to light after an AI Engineering Services engineer “inadvertently deployed an escape slide during maintenance.”
The DGCA and Airbus did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters.
Vibhuti Singh, a former legal expert at India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, said checks on escape slides are “a very serious issue. In case of accident, if they don’t open, it can lead to serious injuries.”
The DGCA report said aircraft that miss mandatory inspections have their airworthiness certificates “deemed suspended.”
The warning notices and report were issued by Animesh Garg, deputy director of airworthiness, and were addressed to Air India CEO Campbell Wilson, as well as the airline’s continuing airworthiness manager, quality manager and head of planning.
An Indian aviation lawyer told Reuters such breaches often lead to monetary and civil penalties for both the airline and individual executives.
Wilson said in a 2023 interview with Reuters that global parts shortages were affecting most airlines, but the problem was “more acute” for Air India, whose “product is obviously a lot more dated,” with many aircraft not updated since 2010-2011.
‘Systemic control failure’
The DGCA report said some Air India aircraft inspected by officials also had outdated registration paperwork. Air India told Reuters that all but one of its aircraft met the required standards and said this “poses no impact” to safety.
The report criticised the airline’s internal oversight systems, stating: “Despite prior notifications and identified deficiencies, the organisation’s internal quality and planning departments failed to implement effective corrective action, indicating systemic control failure.”
India’s junior aviation minister told parliament in February that airlines were fined or warned in 23 cases over safety violations last year. Of these, 12 involved Air India and Air India Express. One case involved “unauthorised entry into cockpit”, and the biggest fine – $127,000 – was imposed on Air India for “insufficient oxygen on board” during a San Francisco-bound flight.
Air India’s Chairman N Chandrasekaran addressed employees on Monday, calling on staff to remain focused amid criticism following last week’s crash and said the incident should serve as a catalyst to build a safer airline.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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Pro and anti-assisted dying campaigners protest ahead of a parliamentary decision later today, on June 20, 2025 in London.
UK MPs are set to hold a key vote on assisted dying on Friday, which could either advance or halt a proposed law that would allow terminally ill adults to end their lives under strict conditions.
The vote follows several hours of debate in the House of Commons and will decide whether the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill moves to the House of Lords for further scrutiny or is dropped altogether.
As MPs gather for the third reading — their final opportunity to debate the bill’s content — demonstrators from both sides of the issue are expected outside parliament.
“This is about real people facing the prospect of a painful and undignified death either for themselves or a loved one,” said MP Kim Leadbeater, who is leading the bill. “The injustice and inhumanity of the status quo means we cannot wait any longer to offer them the hope of a better death.”
The legislation would apply to adults in England and Wales with an incurable illness and fewer than six months to live.
It would require patients to administer the life-ending medication themselves, with approval needed from two doctors and a panel of experts.
If passed, the law would bring England and Wales in line with other countries that permit some form of assisted dying.
Concerns and changes
Supporters of the bill say it would offer more protection and choice to people nearing the end of life. Opponents argue it could put pressure on vulnerable individuals.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists has raised concerns, stating last month that it had “serious concerns” about safeguarding people with mental illness, and said it could not support the bill in its current form.
MPs initially backed the bill by 330 votes to 275 in November. Since then, changes have been made, including a ban on advertising assisted dying and provisions allowing health workers to opt out of taking part.
The current vote comes as several MPs have shifted their stance, and political parties are allowing a free vote. The outcome remains uncertain.
Vote tally and next steps
An ITV News tally of about half of all MPs suggests 153 support the change, 141 are opposed, 21 remain undecided and another 21 are expected to abstain.
Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords must pass the bill before the end of the current parliamentary year, likely in the autumn, for it to become law.
If approved and granted royal assent, assisted dying services would not begin for at least four years.
Legal and regional developments
The government’s impact assessment, published this month, estimates that 160 to 640 assisted deaths could occur in the first year of implementation, rising to about 4,500 by the tenth year.
Prime minister Keir Starmer is expected to support the bill, but some cabinet members, including the health and justice secretaries, have spoken against it.
Assisted suicide is currently punishable by up to 14 years in prison in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Separate legislation is being considered in Scotland, and the Isle of Man passed an assisted dying bill in March, becoming the first British territory to do so.