Vishal Sharma is an experienced merchant seaman who became trapped in modern slavery. Now, despite testifying in court and appearing in a BBC documentary to try and bring the perpetrators to justice, an article in The Guardian reports that instead of finding justice, he and his family are facing deportation. 

“We are with you. You are in the UK, a safe country” 

When Sharma left India heading for London, he thought he was heading towards a good job on a Belgian tanker assisting engineers. Instead, in a classic bait and switch, his recruiters changed everything at the last minute. Sharma found himself on a scallop trawler with no wifi network. With no way to contact his Mumbai recruiter and threatened with deportation if he did not work, Sharma began to worry. 

Sharma stated: 

“I felt alone and afraid, at sea, there was no easy way out. They told me, ‘We will call the police, you don’t have the right documents, you will go to jail.’ It is very dangerous work, you can’t argue with the captain, when the ship is rolling and pitching. Anything could happen. You are at sea. It is scary.” 

Sharma’s next three weeks were a blur working 18-to-20-hour days without proper safety equipment or meals. After being transferred to another boat, he was met by police officers. Sharma thought the nightmare was over. He and the other workers were taken into the station where officers asked him to explain everything that had happened, telling him, “We are with you. You are in the UK, a safe country.” So, Sharma told them his story, expecting justice to be done.  

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