Rotherham victim guest speaker at modern slavery event

A survivor of the Rotherham child abuse scandal is a keynote speaker at a police force’s first conference highlighting the risk of modern slavery.

Sarah Wilson was one of 1,400 children who were sexually exploited by gangs of predominantly Pakistani men over a 16-year period up to 2013.

Now an accredited author of a book titled Violated she will set the tone for the “victim first” event being staged by Staffordshire Police and its Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Organiser Sue Arnold, Staffordshire’s deputy police and crime commissioner, speaking ahead of the conference on Thursday (December 10), said: ”Modern-day slavery is closer than you think – and certainly too close for comfort.”

Local professionals and businesses will also hear from Paul Broadbent, chief executive of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority and Helen Gordos, from the UK Human Trafficking Centre.

Some 1,746 potential victims of trafficking were identified in the UK in 2013, nearly a 50 per cent increase on 2012 referrals.