I
You go in for a manicure, and the woman holding your hand barely looks up the whole time, and you don't really look at her either.
Almost nobody does. That's rather the point.
II
0people in Britain were flagged as possible victims of modern slavery last year. The most there has ever been.
Not in some far-off place you will never go. Here. The next town over.
III
It isn't only nail bars, whatever you've heard.
It's car washes and farms and kitchens and care homes, the flat over the shop, a normal-looking house three doors down with the curtains always shut. Mostly you'd walk straight past.
IV
She might be Vietnamese, twenty grand in debt for a crossing she never agreed the price of.
Or he might be fifteen and British, running a county line because someone older told him to.
Same town, both of them. Roughly one in four are British, which surprises people.
V
People argue about all this from every side, and they aren't going to stop.
None of it changes what is happening to her tonight.
VI
She isn't a number on a form, whatever the paperwork says. She's a person, and she had a whole life before this one.
Not all lives are lived the same.
VII
You don't have to fix all of this on your own. But looking twice at the person in front of you, and really seeing them, is a start.
It can look like someone who is never allowed to hold their own passport or their own money, and is dropped off and collected so they are never really left alone.
I wrote The Other Lotus Girl so you would look twice.
Daniel A. Riddle
A woman runs from a car on a dark road, and four ordinary strangers have a few seconds to decide what to do. A crime novel about the people we don't look at.
If this stayed with you
The people working on this
Charities doing the long, unglamorous work, every day. If you can give time, money or just your attention, start here.
Runs the Modern Slavery Helpline and supports survivors, working with the police, the NHS and businesses to end slavery.
Holds the government contract to provide safe housing and specialist support to adult survivors across England and Wales.
Works to find and free victims, and gives specialist advice and advocacy to help survivors rebuild afterwards.
The world's oldest international human rights charity, campaigning to change the laws and systems that let slavery continue.
A global movement working to prevent trafficking before it happens, through awareness and shared intelligence.
Focuses on trafficked and exploited children, training frontline workers and supporting young survivors.
Where these numbers come from
The figure of 19,125 people referred in 2024 (the highest on record), the breakdown by age and exploitation type, the county lines figures, and that roughly one in four were UK nationals: Home Office, National Referral Mechanism statistics, end of year summary 2024.
Vietnamese nationals among the most frequently referred, and debt of £20,000 or more: Anti-Slavery International and ITV News.
The Modern Slavery Helpline (08000 121 700) is run by Unseen.