ITV
10 August 2019 • WAR cry • TELEVISION 3 Seb is determined to help Alina
BATTLING THE TRAFFIC NAIL-BITING Coronation Street storyline, written in collaboration with A Salvation Army specialists, has hooked Weatherfield watchers and given them a glimpse into the reality of modern slavery.
When troubled teenage misfit Seb (Harry Visinoni) fell for eastern European girl Alina (Ruxandra Porojnicu), who worked at a nail bar, he found that she began acting oddly towards him. Despite seeming to like him, she avoided him and lied about leaving her job. Seb watched as England and Wales, and has helped she became increasingly frightened of more than 7,000 victims of modern her boss. He realised that something slavery. was not right. To create an accurate storyline, After sneaking into the back of the Coronation Street script editors worked nail bar, he discovered her sitting on with Salvation Army specialists who a worn mattress and living in poor help victims of modern slavery. The conditions. Eventually Alina told him that she was smuggled into the UK as part of a human trafficking ring, and had to do what her boss, Rachel, told her so that she could send money back home. She begged Seb to stay out of her situation. But Seb would not remain silent. He confronted the traffickers and, despite church and charity is looking to boost being warned off, decided that he would awareness of the issue through the bring the perpetrators of modern slavery plot, and its helpline number has been to justice, risking everything to protect featured on the soap. the girl he cared about – with dramatic The Salvation Army is also launching consequences. a social media campaign to help the While events on Corrie’s cobbled public spot and report suspicions of streets are a work of fiction, modern slavery within their local communities. slavery is all too real, as Salvation Army Fake pop-up adverts will appear to personnel know. indicate cheap deals on the types Since July 2011, The Salvation Army of goods and services whose prices has been the government’s official are sometimes kept low through the provider of anti-trafficking services for trafficking and exploitation of workers.
Seb watched Alina become increasingly frightened of her boss
Salvation Army shapes soap’s modern slavery storyline, writes Emily Bright Users will click through to a landing page that features stories of real victims of modern slavery helped by The Salvation Army. Major Kathy Betteridge, director of anti-trafficking and modern slavery at the organisation, tells the War Cry about what motivates such work: ‘For more than 150 years The Salvation Army has been working with victims of slavery, and our commitment remains as strong now as it has been throughout our history. ‘Supporting modern slavery victims is exactly where we are called to be, and the issue is one of the most serious facing society. ‘Part of The Salvation Army’s mission is to serve suffering humanity and save souls, and we have always responded to the needs of the most vulnerable.’ The Salvation Army believes that God loves every individual and seeks justice for the oppressed. It won’t switch off until human trafficking is brought to an end.