Welcome

Welcome and thank you for expressing your interest in Unseen. 

I’ve had the privilege of being Chair of Trustees here for four years now and am passionate about delivering Unseen’s mission of eradicating modern slavery.

Modern slavery is not a relic of history but a pervasive and rapidly expanding contemporary economic crime. It operates as a shadow economy, generating estimated illicit profits of at least half a trillion dollars per annum and trapping millions of individuals in cycles of exploitation. Since its establishment in 2008, Unseen has emerged as one of the UK’s leading anti-slavery charities, deploying an evidence-driven, multi-pillar theory of change to combat this crisis. Our holistic, multi-pillar strategy is designed to attack the complex systems that allow modern slavery to flourish. Rather than focusing on a single aspect of the problem, this model is engineered to intervene at every level: providing immediate support to survivors, reforming the economic systems that drive exploitation, influencing government policy, and mobilising society.

Together with our stakeholders, we've achieved significant impact. Our influence on the Modern Slavery Act 2015 helped create a legislative framework that is recognised internationally. We established and continue to operate the UK Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline, which has become a crucial national resource. Through our safehouse and outreach provision, we've supported countless survivors on their journey to recovery. Unseen Business has gone from strength to strength, equipping organisation sectors to address exploitation in their supply chains, and our training and policy work continues to shape the national and international response to modern slavery.  

While we have made significant progress in the fight against modern slavery, there is still much work to be done. The UK has regressed in recent years due to successive governments’ troubling conflation of smuggling and immigration with the crime of modern slavery. New laws have made it more difficult for victims to access support and have increased the risk of re-exploitation. Meanwhile, prosecution rates for traffickers remain low, and the sentences they face are often too lenient. The UK was once seen as a global leader in tackling modern slavery, but these regressive policies have reversed the hard-won progress. Urgent reform is needed to ensure that tackling exploitation remains a national priority. 

Unseen is in a strong position. Our partnerships are robust, our programmes are delivering real impact, and our team is exceptional. The timing feels right for new leadership to build on the work of our Founder and CEO, Andrew Wallis OBE, and take the organisation forward to a future where modern slavery has been eradicated.

If you like the sound of this challenge and this interests you, please read on and go to the application page to find out next steps.

Thank you,

Rosey Hurst
Chair