This survivor of forced labour now helps others avoid the same fate

‘People are wondering about what is modern slavery - this is modern slavery.’ Aged 18, Mahendra Pandey left his home in Nepal for a job in the Middle East with a plan to support his family and find his father, who had made the same journey 8 years previously. But his passport was confiscated within minutes of his arrival, and Pandey found himself trapped in a life of forced labour - powerless, penniless and compelled to work long hours in harsh and unrelenting conditions. Today, he is Director of the Forced Labour & Human Trafficking team at Humanity United, and Founder of the Global Migrant Workers, an organization that supports and advocates for 18,000 migrant workers around the world. This is his story. Mahendra Pandey is a member of the Global Data Partnership Against Forced Labour, a World Economic Forum initiative that brings together businesses, humanitarian organizations and anti-slavery campaigners, such as former British Prime Minister Theresa May, in a data-driven effort to end the scourge of modern slavery.