This follows an alarming rise in people abusing our
modern slavery system by posing as victims in order to
prevent their removal and enable them stay in the
country.
National Referral Mechanism referrals, the government’s
system for identifying victims of modern slavery, more
than doubled between 2017 and 2020 from 5,141 to
10,613.
In 2019, of those referred into the National Referral
Mechanism after being detained within the UK (totalling
1,949), 89% received a positive initial decision which
means their referral is considered further with more
rigorous assessment.
Upcoming reforms to the asylum system are expected to
lead to more serious criminals seeking to falsely take
advantage of the National Referral Mechanism in order
to frustrate their removal, making it harder for
genuine victims to receive timely support.
Home Secretary said:
Our generous safeguards for victims are being
rampantly abused by child rapists, people who pose a
threat to national security and failed asylum seekers
with no right to be here.
They are diverting resources away from genuine
victims of trafficking, persecution and serious harm
– which is completely unacceptable.
The UK has led the world in protecting the victims of
modern slavery and we will continue to support those
who have suffered intolerable abuse at the hands of
criminals and traffickers so they can rebuild their
lives.
Under the changes proposed, frontline workers including
police, local authorities and charities will be trained
to better help them assess genuine accounts of modern
slavery before they refer it to the authorities for an
assessment.
The government will consult on whether to strengthen
the threshold for deciding whether someone is a
potential victim of modern slavery during the initial
assessment.
The consultation will also look at the definition of
“public order grounds” to enable protections to be
withheld from dangerous criminals who have received
prison sentences of over a year, as well as individuals
who pose a threat to national security.
In 2015 the UK government introduced ground-breaking
measures that equipped law enforcement with the tools
to fight modern slavery through the Modern Slavery Act.
Today’s announcement introduces our intention to
provide greater support for genuine victims including
private counselling and setting out in legislation for
the first time that confirmed victims of modern slavery
with long-term recovery needs may be eligible for a
grant of temporary leave to remain in the UK to assist
their recovery.
The package also includes:
- a review of the government’s 2014 Modern Slavery
Strategy to develop a revised strategic approach that
adapts to the evolving nature of these crimes
- a new Modern Slavery Prevention Fund to bolster the
efforts of external organisations to stop people being
drawn into this terrible crime and eradicate slavery
- funding to support prosecutions and build policing
capability to investigate and respond to organised
immigration crime, ensuring modern slavery victims
receive the support they need to help prosecute the
perpetrators
Further details will be set out this week in the most
radical overhaul of the asylum and borders system in
decades.
