BBC to tell story of bed factory slave shame

The police operation which exposed human trafficking in Dewsbury will be shown tonight on the BBC.
Mohammed Rafiq.Mohammed Rafiq.
Mohammed Rafiq.

Britain’s Secret Slavery Business, presented by investigative reporter Darragh MacIntyre, will be shown on BBC2 at 10pm.

The hard-hitting documentary will show the extent exploited workers are embedded in our economy as MacIntyre uncovers the world of victims, joining police raids on suspected traffickers.

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MacIntyre exposes the reality of modern-day slavery and exploitation in Britain.

From factories to car washes the documentary lifts the lid on how exploited workers are embedded in parts of our economy.

In Dewsbury MacIntyre hears from one of the Hungarians trafficked to work at Kozee Sleep, a bed factory which supplied to major high street retailers. He reveals how the workers were promised a good job but were paid as little as £10 a week and forced to live in slum-type conditions.

He tells the story of how anti-slavery charity Hope for Justice was tipped off about Mohammed Rafiq and the working conditions at the bed factory.

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Rafiq, 60, of Staincliffe, became the first company boss in the UK to be convicted of human trafficking offences.

He was jailed at Leeds Crown Court for two years and three months, having denied the charges.

The context and scale of modern-day slavery is outlined by Kevin Hyland, the UK’s first Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.

The police, outreach workers, and psychologists explain how exploited people are controlled and are often too scared to even think of escaping.

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