OG East Ender in life and film Cliff Parisi calls for us to ‘Stand with Survivors’ for Modern Slavery Week

Poplar-born TV actor Cliff Parisi points out that signs of modern slavery can be “nuanced and hard to spot” in an anti-slavery campaign this week

Poplar native and star of East Enders and Call the Midwife Cliff Parisi, is starring in ‘Stand with Survivors’, a campaign raising awareness around Modern Slavery this week.

Parisi is joined by fellow East Londoner and Wanstead resident  Andi Oliver, celebrity chef and presenter on the BBC’s Great British Menu.  

The campaign aims to increase awareness around modern slavery, in particular, what signs indicate that someone could be enslaved.

It is urging the public to show allyship, care and support for those who have been and are currently affected by slavery. 

Poplar-born Parisi is best known as Minty Peterson in the BBC’s soap opera East Enders from 2002-2010. 

After a brief dalliance in Hollyoaks, he has played Fred Buckle in the BBC’s drama ‘Call the Midwife’ since 2012. During the first season of Call the Midwife, he returned to his roots and lived in Poplar. He was the third to be knocked out of ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me out of here’ in 2019.

Parisi said: ‘Every single day the Causeway team support hundreds of modern slavery survivors to rebuild their lives and build happy, safe and fulfilling futures.’

In their campaign video, he points out: ‘Signs of Modern Slavery can be nuanced and hard to spot.’

He emphasises that the charity relies on general donations. 

Oliver added: ‘Modern slavery does not always mean somebody is being physically deprived of their freedom, although this does happen.

‘Causeway helps modern slavery survivors recover from trauma and develop safe and fulfilling futures.’ 

The campaign is being broadcast on social media, including Instagram and X and on the charity’s website for anti-slavery week, which started yesterday on 14 October and runs until next Monday. 

The pinnacle of the week is Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October. 

It will broadcast stories from survivors, celebrities and aid workers throughout the week to highlight the possibility of recovery after exploitation. You can help support the campaign by sharing their stories and using #StandWithSurvivors to raise awareness. 

Causeway charity is one of the largest providers of modern slavery support and has been active for a decade. They currently support over 2,000 survivors of slavery and aim to drive change through research, campaigns and strategic partnerships. 

Modern Slavery is when somebody is controlled and exploited by threats, violence coercion, deception or abuse of power, often involving being forced to work for free or extremely low wages.

Modern slavery has been on the rise, with 45% of the 100,000 people enslaved in the UK living in London. It is estimated that modern slavery costs the UK economy £33 billion a year- despite common assumptions modern slavery does not discriminate. 

Around a quarter, 24%, are female with the rest being male. Most women are subject to sexual and domestic exploitation whilst most men suffer labour, criminal and organ harvesting exploitation. 

Causeway currently runs ten modern slavery and crime reduction services across the country. These include safehouses, outreach programmes, one-to-one specialist support, holistic crisis support, and training courses.

If you liked this read The real Poplar stories behind BBC’s Call the Midwife