Drugs, Race, and the Politics of Modern Slavery Law

Abstract This book explores how the UK’s fight against ‘modern slavery’ often harms the very communities it claims to protect. Under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, young people once labelled as gang members under the government’s war on gangs are now framed as modern slaves and trafficking victims in need of saving. Yet, this shift from ‘enemies to slaves’ has reinforced state racism, deepened social inequalities, and provided a precedent for prosecuting drug dealers under modern slavery legislation. Travelling from the urban neighbourhoods in which drug dealers and their families live to the police stations, local authority offices, and courtrooms, this book reveals how anti-slavery efforts mask Britain’s ongoing denial of its imperial past. Challenging the idea that the government is simply ‘doing good’, Drugs, Race, and the Politics of Modern Slavery Law asks us to see the deeper power structures shaping this moral crusade.