The U.K. recently implemented new, stricter immigration policies aimed at curbing irregular immigration. However, a new report found the changes are undermining the Modern Slavery Act and harming migrants and survivors. Instead, reports TRT World, thousands of migrants like Xuan, a Vietnamese survivor, are denied vital protections. Horrifyingly, many are then becoming trapped in modern slavery.
Tip of the iceberg
The U.K. interior ministry reported that in 2024, the number of Vietnamese crossing The Channel on small boats jumped up. With more than 1,000 presumed victims in 2023, they are also among the most exposed to modern slavery. Tragically, according to Anti-Slavery International, those figures represent “the tip of the iceberg”. Xuan (an assumed name) is one such migrant who was captured by police after illegally entering the U.K.
On leaving the police station two strangers bundled him into a car. Frighteningly, he was told to follow the two men otherwise they would shoot him. Xuan first found himself forced to unload boxes at a warehouse where he was never paid. After a few weeks, his traffickers took him to a factory where he was locked up alone 24 hours a day. Xuan was forced to care for cannabis plants and threatened with death if the harvest was poor.
“The persons that brought me there checked on me almost every day. The house was locked, I was afraid they would beat me to death as I did not fulfil my job…I just wanted to keep myself healthy so I could see my children again.”
Sleeping on a mattress on the floor, suffocating from the fumes and humid 36-degree heat from the grow lamps, Xuan decided to attempt escape. He broke a window and fled to a nearby train station. Unsurprisingly, Xuan said he still has trouble sleeping when the memories come back. Meanwhile, his asylum application was rejected last year, he is awaiting an appeal decision.
Terrible trifecta- sex work, drug trade and forced labor
Xuan is among thousands of migrants who arrive illegally in the U.K. each year. The new investigation by Reuters includes interviews with government officials, law enforcement officers, judges, and charity workers. Accordingly, all warned that the new stricter migration policies are trapping thousands in exploitation.
The report states:
“When the Modern Slavery Act was passed in 2015, the U.K. was said to be world leading. That is no longer the case,”
Following, the report also found many victims are either being denied support or fear coming forward about their exploitation due to the risk of deportation.
A Home Office spokesperson said:
“It is unacceptable in today’s Britain that thousands of vulnerable people – mostly women and children – are being forced to work against their will, often while facing regular physical and sexual abuse,”
Further, the report highlights that following the 2023 introduction of tougher evidence requirements, the rejection rate for modern slavery claims skyrocketed. Going from 11 percent in 2022 to 45 percent in 2023. Official data also shows a rise to 46 percent in the first nine months of 2024.
False claims a false flag
Those who support the changes claim migrants exploit the system by falsely claiming to have been a victim of modern slavery to avoid deportation. However, in the first nine months of 2024 only eight people were removed from the NRM for false claims. That stands in stark contrast to the thousands of genuine cases, according to the government’s own figures. Not a single case of fraud was recorded in 2023.
That’s why Freedom United stands beside those urging the government to amend the new immigration rules that are harming survivors. The new policies only deter migrant victims of modern slavery and advantage traffickers, as in Xuan’s case. His dream now, like so many who make the dangerous journey, is to stay in the U.K. and for his children to join him.
Whether that dream can come true or not, all migrants should be supported and protected from exploitation during the processing of their claims. If you haven’t already, join us in calling on safe migration for migrants everywhere.
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