Will the U.K. finally recognize survivors of modern slavery?

Following numerous reports that trafficking survivors had been waiting years to be identified as victims of modern slavery, the U.K. government claims things are going to change. The Guardian reports the new administration plans to finalize cases within two years and put an end to the prolonged uncertainty and anguish of survivors. 

Ignored, unnoticed and hidden in plain sight 

Over the last few years there has been a massive uptick in the number of referrals to organizations that help modern slavery survivors. One of those cases was Anna (not her real name) who was forced to work as a sex worker for two years. Making threats against her children and family, Anna’s trafficker coerced her to come to Northern Ireland. And Anna is just one of many.  

A charity that supports survivors in Northern Ireland, Flourish, said that since the start of 2024 there has been a 128% rise in referrals in comparison to the same period the previous year. 

Flourish’s Chief Executive, Jill Robinson, said: 

“The steep increase which we have seen this year only underlines how vital this work is to the increasing number of people in our communities who have experienced some form of human trafficking,”  

Currently it is estimated there are more than 130,000 victims of modern slavery in the U.K. Trapped in sectors like agriculture, domestic work and caregiving, most have suffered traumatic sexual, physical or economic abuse. Getting a referral to a support organization should be the first step to healing. But instead, for many it just begins another form of abuse.  

A hopeful first step towards “putting survivors first” 

For many survivors, once they receive a referral, they usually face long delays. Their status as a survivor has to be confirmed through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). The NRM is supposed to protect survivors and help them heal by providing safe housing, counselling and other support. But without government confirmation of their status as survivors, they can’t access these services.   

Now Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, says the government was attempting to right that wrong and start putting survivors first. 

Phillips said:  

“For too long, modern slavery survivors and the harrowing experiences they have lived through have not been given the attention and support they deserve. This is going to change.”  

Getting rid of the backlog of over 23,300 modern slavery cases left by the previous government is just the first step according to one minister interviewed. And the Home Office is off to a good start, having recruited 200 staff to start tackling the backlog.  

However, a recent report also pointed to immigration acts passed by the last government. These acts were aimed at deliberately restricting support to survivors provided by the Modern Slavery Act of 2015. According to labor exploitation charities, these immigration acts “gifted traffickers with new tools to coerce people into exploitation.” And while hiring staff is a good start, more that needs to be done to truly be “putting survivors first”.  

Ending modern slavery requires a societal wide effort  

After two years of abuse, Anna was eventually rescued by the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Neighbors heard her screaming while being beaten and called the police.  

Anna said: 

“After being human trafficked you suffer from panic attacks and severe trauma. You will never be the same. Never. You just have to learn to live with it but you will never have a normal life like you did before.”  

Justice Minister Naomi Long emphasized that stopping modern slavery requires a societal-wide effort. It won’t be solved by simply hiring more staff and making a few policy changes. Long states, “We owe it to the victims to put an end to this brutal exploitation and trade in human beings”.

Freedom United stands with survivor support organizations in hoping the new administration understands that putting survivors first needs more than words, it is a whole system approach. Stand with us and demand an immediate overhaul of hostile immigration policies that do more harm to survivors instead of help.