People often move to large cities in search of a better life. In Russia, many of them are driven by unemployment, debt and even hunger, with over 20 million living below the poverty line (according to official statistics). But their search for a new beginning can result in enslavement, exploitation without pay and violence. "One can find modern-day slavery in any large city with over a million people," the founder of the "Alternative" movement, Oleg Melnikov, says. Modern day slavery in Russia comes in three forms: involuntary prostitution, forced labour and beggars' mafias. As the only European country that did not sign the Council of Europe Convention Against Human Trafficking, Russia does not have the appropriate laws to define modern slavery, which, consequently, makes it an unpunishable offence. The "Alternative" is the only NGO in Russia rescuing people from modern slavery. Out of the over 1,500 cases that the "Alternative" has dealt with, only 8-9 have reached court.