Opinion

Around the world around 46 million people are trapped in some form of slavery - the equivalent to the entire population of Spain. Sexual exploitation counts for 54% of all human trafficking victims. As Rebecca Mott’s astonishingly candid story reveals, slavery is actually very close to home. And we can all make a difference to end it.  "For me slavery means when you are doing something against your will - where somebody is controlling you, exploiting you for their gain. You...

The plight of human trafficking victims is being highlighted on Wednesday, October 18th, for Anti-Slavery Day. The UK government estimates that at least 13,000 people across Britain are trapped in modern slavery although police say the figure is likely to be much higher. Kevin Hyland, Britain's anti-slavery tsar, agrees in his annual report that the estimate is too low, and the true number is in the tens of thousands. In 2015, Britain passed the Modern Slavery Act, ushering in the...

New research by The Renewal Trust and Nottingham Trent University has helped to reveal the human cost of modern working practices like zero hours contracts, with the poorest communities often bearing the brunt of the impact. Now, the Renewal Trust is calling for an urgent local response to the issue, as CEO Cherry Underwood explains: “There’s been a lot of talk in the media about modern working practices, following the publication of the Taylor Report. Nationally, the falling levels of...

James Corden landed himself in hot water this weekend after he made jokes about disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein at the AmfAR Gala in Los Angeles. The Late Late Show host was met with as many groans as laughs after he tried to satirise the scandal that has engulfed Hollywood over the past few weeks. Reports that Weinstein sexually harassed, assaulted and raped more than a dozen women were leaked by the New Yorker at the start of the month,...

By Sheana Ochoa My husband came to me after the Harvey Weinstein story broke, talking about how men would have to “think twice” now. He said, “As a man I have to confess I’m completely ashamed of Harvey Weinstein and his sick, compulsive behaviour.” There’s been so much press coverage, he said, “This will be a watershed moment for change.” “Watershed,” I laughed. I called him naïve and it hurt his feelings. I’m sorry about that, but I know that...

The Rt Hon David Lammy MP, head of the recently released Inquiry into Racial Disproportionality and the Criminal Justice System, was among leading speakers at the ‘Ubuntu* Police and Youth Engagement Symposium,’ hosted by the Tutu Foundation UK at the House of Lords on Tuesday 10th October. The event reviewed the interim findings of an external evaluation of the ‘Ubuntu* Police Youth Roundtable Project,’ an initiative aiming to diffuse tensions in high crime areas by encouraging positive dialogue between the...

Last month King Salman of Saudi Arabia lifted the de facto ban on female drivers by decreeing that local authorities will not be able to reject female applications for driving licences – they have 30 days to provide licences after an application has been made. This ought to be seen as a great triumph for women’s rights, and yet on sombre reflection it is merely an unelected old man telling women that they can now drive, which is in itself a...

Prime Minister Theresa May has been consumed by the shadow of Brexit, according to the Deputy Mayor for Wandsworth Talking exclusively to The London Economic Conservative Councillor Ian Lewer reflected on a "deflated" party conference in which the "wild forces" of the Brexit referendum were to be seen in the flesh. Nothing personified that more than the almost "Shakespearean tragedy" of Mrs May’s fall from grace, he says, which has seen her shift from one of the most popular post-war premiers to a...

The call to make the UK’s leadership more representative of the country’s diverse communities has never been louder – or more needed. Whether we’re talking about elected representatives, business boardrooms or role models, both real life and on-screen. Nottingham is on a quest to do something about it – by discovering and nurturing people with the potential to take on future leadership roles from all walks of life; across all sectors, private public and voluntary. The Future Leaders of Nottingham...