Extract from Westminster
Hall debate on Immigration Detention: Trafficking and Modern
Slavery
The Minister for Immigration ():...Several comments were made
about the reform of the national referral mechanism and the
importance of ensuring that the NRM gets victims of modern slavery
the support they need. We have made significant progress in
delivering that complex reform programme, including the launch of
the single competent authority, which is an expert caseworking unit
responsible for all NRM decisions, regardless of an individual’s
nationality or immigration status. That unit has replaced the
competent authorities previously located in UK Visas and
Immigration, Immigration Enforcement and the National Crime Agency. To improve the
decision-making process, we have set up an independent,
multi-agency assurance panel of experts to review all negative
conclusive grounds decisions, adding significantly to the scrutiny
such cases receive...
...Modern slavery programming in Nigeria is a
cross-Government effort, with each Department—the Home Office, the
Department for International Development and
the National Crime Agency—working
co-operatively and focusing on areas of comparative advantage. The
Home Office’s own modern slavery fund programme provides support
and reintegration assistance to victims of trafficking and supports
the judiciary to process trafficking. In addition, DFID funding has
been directed to the International Organisation for Migration to
rehabilitate victims returned from Libyan detention camps. That is
a separate cohort of victims from those supported by Home Office
funding. There is a real need for us to continue to work with DFID
to help develop livelihood options for communities at risk of
trafficking in Edo state and to help local government and civil
society respond to trafficking there...
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Extract from Oral answer
(Lords) on Children: Criminal Exploitation
: To ask Her
Majesty’s Government what is their response to the report by The
Children’s Society, Counting Lives: responding to children who are
criminally exploited, published on 5 July.
The Minister of State, Home Office () (Con): My
Lords, criminal exploitation associated with county lines drug
dealing has a devastating impact on those affected. We must
continue to work together to identify and safeguard the victims
and potential victims of this exploitation as early as possible.
We will carefully consider the findings from the Children’s
Society’s report as we continue to strengthen our response to
county lines.
(Lab Co-op): My
Lords, in January 2019 the National Crime Agency and the National
County Lines Coordination Centre co-ordinated a series of drug
raids which resulted in 600 arrests, with 400 vulnerable adults
and 600 children being offered safeguarding advice, but only 40
referrals to the national referral mechanism. Does the Minister
agree that we need to implement a national strategy for child
criminal exploitation to ensure that statutory services across
the UK can recognise the signs of exploitation and offer the
support that children need?
: The figures
I have before me are slightly different to the noble Lord’s. I
understand that they led to over 1,600 arrests and over 2,100
individuals safeguarded, but I absolutely agree with him; I do
not think anyone would disagree that there needs to be a
multiagency approach to this. As he will know, the public health
approach consultation has only just closed. In terms of the NRM
process, the Home Office is leading a review of first responders
which considers the training provided and how to refer a victim
to the NRM, and the support that is available through it. The
final recommendations of that review will be published in due
course...
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