Research has confirmed that trafficking victims are at a greater risk of catching the coronavirus.[1] People in industries particularly vulnerable to exploitation such as construction, sex work, harvesting and manufacturing aren’t always able to maintain social distancing to protect themselves and if a victim of modern slavery, don’t have the choice to stop working and self-isolate if they need to.  

The findings show that unscrupulous employers often fail to provide basic safeguards even in normal times, so personal protective equipment, such as masks and hand sanitizer, was not available for many trafficking victims.[2] 

It is also common for modern slavery victims to live in overcrowded accommodation, where the risk of infection is higher.