"They make profits like hell and pay us in peanuts," shouts the factory foremanThe person who supervises other workers in the factory. Or, in court, the person chosen to act as a spokesperson for the jury. to the new recruit.

He has to be loud. His voice is drowned out by the sounds of then sweatshop: the hum of machinery, the hissing of industrial irons, and the chatter of dozens of workers crammed into a hot and tiny room.

As the new worker heaves yet another roll of fabric from the dilapidatedOld and in poor condition due to neglect. factory floor, a bead of sweat appears on his forehead.

And, at the end of the day, he will take home just 3.50 for every hour of backbreaking work.

Where do you think this scene might have taken place?

The answer is surprising: the factory sits in the shadows of Leicester's ancient cathedral at the heart of England, a UK newspaper revealed this weekend. Most of its workers are from the city's South Asian community, and they are making clothes for some of the UK's biggest fast fashion brands.

And now doctors think factories like this one may be the source of a new coronavirus outbreak in the city, causing the government to enforce the first local lockdown.

With cramped conditions making social distancing impossible, it is no surprise that the virus spread like wildfire through the workshop.

But Leicester is just one part of a global problem. An estimated 40 million people worldwide are trapped in slavery. They are being made to work through intimidation and violence, or to pay off debts, in factories, on farms or construction sites. And, since 2017, forced marriagesAnti-Slavery International successfully campaigned to have forced marriage recognised as a form of slavery by the International Labour Organisation. There are an estimated 15.4m people in forced marriages; most are girls and women. Over a third of people forced to marry were children, of whom 40% were under 15 when they were forced into marriage. have also been recognised as a form of slavery.

In fact, slave labour is a huge part of the global supply chain. It is a secret economy worth over 116 billion every year, a third of which is generated in developed countries.

As one 2017 report put it: "Forced labourers produced some of the food we eat and the clothes we wear, and they have cleaned the buildings in which many of us live or work."

People often think of slavery as a problem of the past. The practice has been illegal in every country in the world since 1981Even though Mauritania, a country in Northwest Africa, abolished slavery in 1981, it only became a criminal offence in 2007.. The word itself evokes images of shackles and transatlantic ships.

Yet astonishingly, more people are enslaved today than at any other time in history.

Today, rather than being abducted and sold, many victims are tricked into slavery. Last year, British police jailedPolice believe that the gang had more than 400 victims. Their sentences ranged from three to 11 years. eight members of a gang who promised vulnerable Polish people well-paid jobs in England. Instead, the gang stole their wages and forced them into rat-infested homes.

But what is being done about the problem?

Anti-slavery campaigners say that activism is working. In 2005, sports brand Nike finally admitted to abuse at its factories, including restricted access to water, after a global boycott campaign hit the company's profits.

In the last five years, countries like the UK have introduced new laws to stamp out exploitation. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 forced companies to be more transparent about their actions. Convicted people traffickers now face life sentences in prison.

And, in France, businesses can now be fined up to 10m (9m) if they fail to publish human rights reports.

Yes, say some. Growing awareness, through initiatives like Anti-Slavery DayMarked every year on 18 October, since 2010 in the UK, to raise awareness of the dangers and consequences of modern-day slavery and human trafficking., is the key to solving this worldwide problem. Finally, the tide is turning against exploitation: more and more countries are making laws not just banning slavery outright, but targeting the global companies that turn a blind eye to forced labour in their supply chainsThe system of connected suppliers and producers that bring a product to consumers. One product might come to us through several sites across the world. Covid-19 infections and restrictions disrupted these chains. and the processes enabling the trade of human beings.

No, say others. The continued existence of garment factories, like those in Leicester, show that new laws are not working. The economist Adam SmithAn 18th-Century Scottish economist often known as the "father of economics". once argued that humans have an instinctive desire to dominate others. As long as capitalism exists, so will the instinct for corporations to find cheap labour. It is impossible to outlaw cruelty: human nature will always find a way round any new legislation.