Join Slavery Free founder and journalist/broadcaster Libby Sutcliffe in conversation at the world-famous Hay Festival, with Veronica Clark, ghostwriter for Emily Vaughn, author of the new book “ENSLAVED: My True Story of Survival” and Shaun Sawyer, NPCC Lead for Modern Slavery. More info is here.

Friday 4 June 2021, 1pm – 1.50pm BST
County Lines – Modern Slavery in the UK

It is estimated that in the UK alone there are tens of thousands of victims of modern slavery. Globally it is 40 million.

When an 11-year-old girl from a small town in Wales was groomed into ‘county lines’ drug trafficking, it was the beginning of vicious descent into one abuse after another, involving a huge child-sex trafficking gang. Over several years Emily Vaughn estimates she was raped by 1,500 men.

Now in her early thirties, she wants to expose this insidious aspect of modern slavery and help others who have gone through similar experiences. Emily is still in the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), and so for her own safety, she will be represented by her ghostwriter Veronica Clark. Shaun Sawyer is the Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall and the National Police Lead on Slavery and Trafficking.

MORE INFORMATION:

ENSLAVED: My True Story of Survival
by Emily Vaughn
Harper Element |£7.99 PB
A heartbreaking memoir from a girl who escaped county line trafficking only to become prey to other abusers.

Emily has always felt like an outsider, so when a family friend takes her under his wing she is delighted. But soon it becomes clear that his motives are not all they seem. At the age of 11, Emily is groomed into being a ‘county lines’ drug trafficker. It is the beginning of a vicious cycle that sees her become prey to one abuser after another, involving a huge child-sex-trafficking gang.

The scale of the abuse – at the hands of hundreds of men – is sickening, and at times it feels like there will never be an escape. But then, in the darkest of moments, a ray of light shines…
This is the moving true story of how one girl overcame her traumatic past and learned to love for the very first time.

About the Author
Emily now lives a happy life and is a committed campaigner against CSE and modern slavery and will do all she can to raise awareness to protect young and vulnerable people across the UK.
For publicity requests, please contact Lucy Brown at HarperNonFiction: lucy.brown@harpercollins.co.uk