Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of
the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on human trafficking in the
United Kingdom.
The Minister of State, Home Office () (Con)
My Lords, during the Covid pandemic we are working closely with
law enforcement to ensure that high-risk modern slavery cases
continue to be pursued and that any changes to the threat of
modern slavery are assessed. As a priority, we are continuing to
deliver essential services and support for victims during the
Covid pandemic.
[V]
My Lords, in conjunction with the National Crime Agency, the
Clewer Initiative has today released an app to help agricultural
workers and their employers understand their rights and
responsibilities. In the light of current travel restrictions
across the world, what assessment has the Minister made of the
impact that the Government’s proposed points-based immigration
system will have on seasonal agricultural workers? Will the
Government give the sector advance warning of any changes,
following the review of the pilot later this year?
My Lords, whether we have a points-based system or not, people
who work in our agricultural sector should be protected from
exploitation by unscrupulous people who might employ them.
Therefore, I cannot see that our points-based system will have a
particular effect, but we should always be on guard against
people who might exploit those vulnerable to it.
(Lab) [V]
My Lords, before Covid-19 child migrants were already vulnerable
to trafficking and suffered problems with health and social care.
Could the Minister say what extra support for such children is
now available at a local level, and how it will be monitored?
The noble Baroness points to something that we have been very
mindful of throughout this lockdown period. I did not quite hear
what she said about whom we might support. Was she talking about
vulnerable children?
[V]
Yes, vulnerable children.
Absolutely, we have been very mindful of the vulnerability of
children in all sorts of ways, whether it is from the effects of
domestic abuse, online malicious intervention or drugs and gangs.
We have secured £1.73 million for charities to provide emergency
support to victims, and we have provided a further £1.4 million
this year to continue our dedicated funding for the police to
tackle modern slavery under the new modern slavery and organised
immigration crime programme. This year, we will invest £7 million
to safeguard victims of modern slavery.
(Non-Afl) [V]
My Lords, human trafficking is graphic, and it is a form of
modern-day slavery. There are more slaves today than at the
height of the transatlantic slave trade. What further action will
the Government take to ensure that companies—for example, those
in the textiles and fashion industry—eradicate slavery from their
supply chains?
Sadly, I agree with my noble friend; I fear that, having ruled
against slavery over 200 years ago, it is now back on our shores
in a different and far more difficult way. We do not require
companies or organisations to certify that their supply chains
are slavery free, because in many cases that might be impossible,
but we do ask businesses to be transparent about their risks and
the measures they take to mitigate this. Leicester is a very good
example of where we have stepped in, and a task force, led by the
Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, has been set up to bring
together the enforcement bodies.
(LD) [V]
The Walk Free Foundation, a human rights group, found that 75% of
hospitality businesses were flouting anti-slavery legislation. As
we emerge from lockdown, debt bondage will have increased and
traffickers could capitalise as pressure on the hospitality
industry to survive grows. Will the Government increase the
number of workplace inspections and ensure that inspectors are
highly trained to identify victims of trafficking?
The noble Baroness makes a very good point. However, as I said
earlier, modern slavery can be a hidden crime, so it is incumbent
upon all agencies in their work to try and identify the signs of
modern slavery and tackle it. The noble Baroness makes a very
good point about the hospitality industry.
(Con)
[V]
My Lords, Covid-19 has increased vulnerability to human
trafficking and pushed victims into more risky work. At the same
time, financial and other resources allocated to anti-trafficking
efforts are likely to be stretched during the pandemic. Are extra
measures being looked at, such as expanding the referral helpline
and working with local government to place prominent notices in
public areas to highlight the issue of victims and their need to
be able to contact local authorities?
I mentioned earlier some of the funding mechanisms that will be
available. My noble friend is absolutely right that we have seen
an unprecedented increase in the number of potential victims of
modern slavery being referred to the NRM—in 2019, it was 52% more
than in 2018. In response to that, we have surged resources into
caseworking teams to ensure that those victims receive the
decisions and the support that they need in a timely fashion.
(CB)
[V]
My Lords, during the Covid-19 pandemic, might it be a sensible
move, as well as a way of saving money, not to put children
through the NRM?
I agree with the noble and learned Baroness in the sense that we
have paused an awful lot of the processes that might be in place
for people seeking asylum. Protecting people during this period
and making sure they get the support that they need is at the
heart of our endeavours. She has a point—children need specific
intervention. I am not entirely sure what the position is with
regard to NRM, but the Home Office is very focused on supporting
children who might be vulnerable.
(Lab Co-op) [V]
My Lords, will the Minister first join me in paying tribute to
the work of the Clewer Initiative and the leadership shown there
by the right reverend Alastair Redfern, the former Lord , whose wise
words are much missed in this House? Secondly, does the Minister
accept that the exploitation of vulnerable people has continued
and increased during the pandemic, with victims finding it more
difficult to escape their abusers as front-line services have
been either reduced or shut down? Can the Minister tell the House
what remedial action will be taken to help victims as the country
reopens?
I join the noble Lord in his praise for the Clewer Initiative. We
feel that victims have been more in danger not because local
services are not available to them but because we fear that many
of them, particularly in situations of domestic abuse and
slavery, are actually locked in with the exploiter or the abuser.
(LD) [V]
The initial review from the Royal College of Obstetricians and
Gynaecologists of abortion services delivered by telemedicine
during Covid showed that staff, highly trained in safeguarding,
have found trafficked women. Will the Minister’s department work
with the Department of Health and Social Care to evaluate and
make this telemedicine service permanent?
I fully support what the noble Baroness has said. I will
certainly go back to the department in terms of the permanency of
this, but she is right to point out that it is another indicator
of what might be going on.
