The Centre for Social Justice estimates that there are at least 100,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK and a staggered economy due to the aftershocks of coronavirus is likely to fuel this crisis. Most of them suffer in silence and go “undetected” as they submit to bullying, discrimination and workplace harassment for the fear of losing their livelihoods and career progression. This World Mental Health Day (10 October 2020) with 1.4 million people and counting unemployed, Asian Voice speaks to solicitors, psychiatrists and doctors about the harrowing impact on the mental well-being of employees and their families.
Dr Shankar Chappiti, a South Asian ophthalmologist based in Wolverhampton, has lodged a complaint against the NHS on the grounds of forced labour and racism. In his fundraiser, he writes, “No one should have to experience what I have been through in the last two years. I feared for my career if I did not agree to forced labour which saw me working for free for six months. Slavery and racial discrimination have no place in modern society let alone in an NHS hospital in the 21st century. I believe the Hospital Trust have failed to recognise the seriousness of what took place and have refused to compensate me for the trauma experienced and loss of earnings- in summary this is a human rights issue”.
Modern slavery not restricted to human trafficking
Dr Shankar reached out to Richard Port an employment solicitor and Founder of Boardside to navigate his case. Subsequently they lodged a complaint at the Tribunal in May, and Richard says they still haven’t received a date for the hearing.
“Shocked” at how a doctor can be a victim of forced labour in an organisation such as NHS, Richard says, “Modern slavery is not just about trafficking of people, such as sex workers, or staff for restaurants and retail stores, with horror stories of their passports being taken away. This case concerns an allegation of forced labour, a specific offence under the Modern Slavery Act, being any work or service which people feel forced to undertake against their will, under threat of punishment, including having to give service for no remuneration or reward.
“I was very moved and shocked when I first discussed Dr Shankar’s case with him. He has been living in this country since he was 3-years-old, has made significant contributions to the economy as a doctor in the NHS and yet feels abused, violated and that he has been taken advantage of.
“In cases of this nature, the employee is likely to feel under tremendous pressure and often fearful. I understand that within ethnic minority groups there is pressure on individuals to support their families, often when there is no other breadwinner at home. So, to be out of work and particularly in a society those people may not feel confident, is clearly a difficult situation for them. And it is bound to have adverse effects on anyone’s mental well-being. One should be able to go to work, feel safe, carry out their duties with dignity and be able to enjoy that. And, in my experience, people from black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds feel less inclined to speak out and instead shoulder the responsibilities they find themselves in silence, because they feel they have little choice.”
Responding to Asian Voice’s questions on the allegations made by Dr Shankar, a Spokesperson on behalf of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust said, “We can confirm Dr Chappiti has brought a complaint in the employment tribunal. We are awaiting a preliminary hearing date to be set. The Trust denies the claims made and is defending the complaint. No further comment will be made at this time.”
BAME workers under-paid and traumatised in poor work conditions
The CSJ report states that there is no data available to quantify the exact scale and cost of people being stuck in such vulnerable positions at workplaces. But, following the coronavirus pandemic, the Centre understands that this problem is likely to worsen especially as jobs dry up and those currently employed are expected to deliver greater amount of work at reduced salaries as businesses struggle to stay afloat. About 10 million employees were supported by the Chancellor’s furlough scheme. As it gets replaced by the lesser generous Jobs Retention Scheme, economists estimate that around 2 million people be out of work and that Britain’s unemployment rate can more or less double at 8% towards the end of the year. With fresh restrictions imposed ahead of a potential second wave of coronavirus, the situation for the hospitality, retail and manufacturing industry is particularly worrisome.
In the last few months there have been several reports around how some employees especially from BAME backgrounds were coerced into working in “poor work” conditions. Fast fashion giant Boohoo has been embroiled into investigations of modern slavery as it reported a 45% rise in their sales during the coronavirus lockdown. While the company recorded a profit of 51% in the first half of the year, workers were allegedly paid just £3.50 an hour. Last week an independent commission led by Alison Levitt QC stated, “Boohoo ought to have appreciated the serious risks created by ‘lockdown’ in relation to potential exploitation of the workforce of the Leicester factories. It capitalised on the commercial opportunities offered by lockdown and believed that it was supporting Leicester factories by not cancelling orders, but took no responsibility for the consequences for those who made the clothes they sold.”
Mayor’s mental health struggles and work with Zero Suicide London
The main drivers of modern slavery can be attributed to poverty, lack of equal opportunities and other vulnerabilities which result in an increased risk of workplace harassment, exploitation and abuse. And human rights Barrister Parosha Chandran has elaborated that the problem of modern slavery is not restricted to the Midlands alone with hidden cases of such nature in London and across the UK. But allegations around bullying at workplaces is not just confined to these private organisations. Several reports have recently surfaced about BAME employees within the Whitehall corridors stating workplace discrimination and bullying has resulted in stress, burnout and impacted their mental well-being. Home Secretary Priti Patel, Home Office, and Downing Street are also being asked to disclose all correspondence related to Phillip Rutnam’s departure following claims that he was forced out of his job for intervening in her alleged bullying of fellow civil servants.
Condemning all forms of modern slavery and workplace exploitation, a spokesperson for the Mayor of London said, “The has launched the Employment Rights Hub to enable employees to have the information and guidance they need to understand what their rights and protections are. He has also developed the Good Work Standard to ensure businesses across London provide safe work environments in which their employees can thrive.
“Sadiq is an ardent champion of workers’ rights, ensuring City Hall leads the way in providing a safe and supportive working environment to all colleagues. The Mayor has offered risk-assessments to staff across the GLA family in roles that make them more vulnerable to Covid-19, put in place measures to protect staff in those roles and all staff have 24-hour access to support through a free helpline if they are experiencing emotional distress.
During the first wave of coronavirus and at the height of the pandemic, the Mayor himself had spoken of his own mental health struggles. The significance of good mental well-being is rarely discussed within South Asian families. Mood swings and laziness are often synonymous with depression, anxiety and suicide ideation to many South Asian families who believe that therapy and counselling will bring “shame” to their family. The young (16-24 year-olds) South Asians looking for jobs or coping with the financial and academic stress of university are primarily suffering in silence. Urging the community to hold open discussions around their mental well-being, spokesperson for Mayor of London said,
“The Mayor passionately believes in the importance of good mental health and has spoken candidly about his own struggles during the pandemic. Sadiq set up Thrive LDN, in partnership with Public Health England and NHS London, to promote good mental health and wellbeing to all, and actively promotes their resources and Zero Suicide London’s suicide prevention training to communities across the capital.”
55% women reported income loss during Covid-19, distressed and lonely
In the meantime, some women entrepreneurs who are also struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic have reported how stress, burnout and anxiety have resulted in disrupted routines and caused problems to their biological clocks as well. Care International, a humanitarian agency polled 10,000 people in 40 countries about the repercussions of the public health crisis. In a study first of its kind, the survey found that 27% per cent of women reported an increase in problems linked to mental illness, in comparison to only ten per cent of men. Women cited concerns around maintaining income, struggling to eat and access healthcare and increased caring responsibilities. 55% per cent of women reported income loss as one of the biggest effects of the Covid-19 emergency, compared to 34 per cent of men. Another major report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found Covid-19 chaos has worsened existing gender inequalities in mental health with women’s wellbeing disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Other similar research has indicated that women may have been more distressed through work insecurity, loneliness and domestic violence.
Dr. Sohom Das is a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist. Explaining what are the root causes of mental health issues among women, he said, “There are numerous gender specific risk factors for women. They experience much higher domestic violence and sexual assault, which can lead to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. They often have socioeconomic inequality in some cultures; including poorer rural Asian communities. They can be discouraged or disadvantaged in developing their own qualifications and career opportunities compared to men; for example, being burdened with the responsibility to care for children, siblings or elderly relatives.
“In addition, there is a gender bias in presentation and diagnosis. For example, women are much more likely to be diagnosed with depression by a doctor, even if they obtain the same scores in psychological screening questionnaires. Men are more likely to disclose problems with alcohol to their doctors than women.”
Children lose loved ones to Covid-19, struggle with psychological impacts
Besides women, children are also heavily impacted by the loss of their loved ones especially as they remained cooped up in isolation most of the Summer this year. Limited interactions with their friends and a disruption in their routine has seen many either falling prey to County Lines or being “boxed” up in their rooms. Some academics have suggested that children should now be educated about the significance of mental health in schools especially those who are disproportionately impacted by the loss of loved ones.
Dr Prabhu Rajendran, RCPCH Ambassador (BLMK ICS))said, “In the current climate BAME children and young people, specifically, are experiencing the pandemic differently from their peers. This is as a consequence of the disproportionate social, economic, and psychological impacts on their communities. These children are disproportionately from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and overcrowded and multigenerational homes. They are suffering the most while being least able to socially distance, and it’s taking a psychological toll. As they are the ones who are more likely to lose a loved one and less likely to have proper access to online learning.”
Commenting on how socio-economic lifestyles can also have a detrimental impact on the well-being of some children Irtiza Qureshi, Research Fellow - Institute of Health Research, University of Bedfordshire said, “Generally speaking, the British South Asian community can be seen to have strong protective factors such as close and extended family support structures, faith and spirituality networks. However, systemic risk factors such as institutional racism and socioeconomic status can have a detrimental effect on some British South Asians and their mental health. For example, people of Bangladeshi background are far more likely to earn less, live in poorer housing conditions and have less qualifications than their White British counterparts.”
