The Home Affairs Committee has announced a new inquiry into the
trafficking of human beings.
Human trafficking is a crime that can occur across international
borders or within a country. It involves the act of recruiting,
transporting or harbouring people for the purposes of
exploitation. The nature of trafficking means it is difficult to
estimate the number of people being exploited in the UK. The Home
Office received 12,727 referrals to its National Referral
Mechanism (NRM) in 2021, but this is likely to be below the true
number of victims. Charities providing support services to
victims of trafficking have highlighted the gender difference of
this form of crime. Just over half of female victims are subject
to sexual exploitation, while almost two-thirds of male victims
reported labour exploitation.
A significant number of victims of human trafficking in the UK
are not British nationals, having been recruited in another
country. The Government has raised concerns that some migrants
may be abusing the NRM process in order to claim asylum, but Home
Office data suggests that 90% of victims referred to the NRM are
victims of modern slavery.
In this new inquiry, the Home Affairs Committee will assess the
scale of human trafficking in the UK and the forms it takes. It
will also investigate whether Government policy, legislation and
the criminal justice system can be improved to better prevent
trafficking, prosecute perpetrators and protect victims.
Chair's comment
Home Affairs Committee Chair, , said:
“Human trafficking is an abhorrent crime, yet it is all too
prevalent and all too profitable in the UK. While Britain took an
important step in the fight against trafficking with the
introduction of the Modern Slavery Act in 2015, the Home Affairs
Committee will investigate what more needs to be done to prevent
this crime, prosecute exploiters and protect victims”.
“With the Home Secretary recently announcing she intends to make
changes to the Modern Slavery Act 2015, now is a crucial time for
the Home Affairs Committee to be scrutinising anti-trafficking
legislation and its impact”.
“We have a particular concern around the gendered nature of human
trafficking, with over half of trafficked women subject to sexual
exploitation. Legislation, criminal justice responses and support
services must reflect and respond to the differing experiences of
women and men who are trafficked and exploited in the UK. We also
want to make sure that the criminal justice system is able to
take a nuanced approach that can ensure victims are fully
supported, including in cases where they may have been pressed
into criminal activity”.
Oral evidence sessions are expected after Easter.
Terms of Reference
The Committee invites written evidence on the following
questions. The deadline for submitting written evidence is
midnight on Friday 17 March 2023. Please
note, your submission does not need to address every question in
the terms of reference.
- What is the scale and nature of human trafficking in the UK?
Considering in particular:
a. Different types of exploitation (including sexual, labour, or
criminal exploitation)
b. The profile of victims and perpetrators
c. The gendered aspects of human trafficking
d. The role of technology in facilitating human trafficking
- How effective is the UK’s approach to discouraging the demand
that leads to trafficking?
- To what extent do support services meet the needs of victims
who have been trafficked in or to the UK?
- What evidence is there, if any, that the National Referral
Mechanism process is being exploited by individuals seeking
asylum in the UK?
- How can legislation, including the Modern Slavery Act 2015,
policy and criminal justice system practice be improved to
prevent and address human trafficking?
