New Exhibition unmasks the truth about Modern Slavery

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Modern Slavery Partnership, in conjunction with Hampshire Cultural Trust, are proud to present the emotive and thought provoking exhibition ‘The real faces of Modern Slavery: unmasking the truth’.

This new exhibition is a journey through the compelling stories of survivors identified and supported within our surrounding area, with visual and audio content depicting their experiences past and present and their future aspirations as they start to attempt to rebuild their lives.

Chair of the Modern Slavery Partnership, Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones, said: “Modern Slavery is very much a hidden crime and can go undetected for years.  It is not just a crime that happens abroad and in our cities but could be taking place behind closed doors on the streets we walk down on a daily basis. The crime of modern slavery within the UK and our local area remains a significant threat with the number of victims identified rising each year.

“The people whose stories you will see and hear at this new exhibition are all survivors who have been identified and supported within our surrounding area.

“By running this exhibition we hope to dispel the common myths that surround slavery today and raise awareness of signs that people are being exploited and how to report concerns.”

Exploitation types found within Hampshire include sexual exploitation of both adults and children, criminal exploitation including that within county lines and cannabis factories, labour exploitation such as that taking place in nail bars and car washes and financial exploitation in the form of benefit fraud.

If you come across a situation where someone is in immediate danger then please call the Police on 999 or for non-emergencies 101.  Together we can look to tackle this crime and bring support to those being exploited.

The exhibition will be touring Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from 5 October 2021 starting at Westbury Manor Museum in Fareham, a Hampshire Cultural Trust community venue.

Paul Sapwell, Chief Executive at Hampshire Cultural Trust, commented: “This exhibition is so important in raising awareness of modern day slavery and the impact it has on the lives of local survivors. We are delighted to host this exhibition at four of Hampshire Cultural Trust’s venues, where the exhibition also includes an introduction to historic slavery.”

This exhibition has been developed as a partnership initiative to raise awareness of Modern Slavery and it is hoped that visitors will leave with an understanding of how this can manifest in different scenarios within our everyday lives.

Venues and dates for the Exhibition.

Westbury Manor Museum, Fareham

• 5 October to 14 November 2021

Portsmouth Libraries

• Southsea: 16 November to 3 December 2021
• Cosham: 6 December to 17 December 2021
• Portsmouth Central: 20 December to 10 January 2022

Eastleigh Museum

• 15 January to 26 Feb 2022

33 High Street, Newport, IOW

• 28 February to 26th March 2022

Southampton Central Library

• 12 April to 13 May 2022

Allen Gallery, Alton

• 14th May to 26 June, 2022

City Space, Winchester Discovery Centre

• 5 July to 31 July 2022

Fareham Library

• 3 August to 7 September 2022

Andover Museum

• 17 September to 30 October 2022