Protecting Survivors' Rights

Major Heather Grinsted (Deputy Director, Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery) shares why The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom and Ireland Territory is urging the Government to remove modern slavery from the Illegal Migration Bill and ensure the safety and protection of survivors.

In March 2023, the Illegal Migration Bill was introduced to the UK Parliament, followed by the House of Commons voting 312 to 250 to give the Bill a second reading. The Salvation Army is deeply concerned about the impact the Bill will have on victims of modern slavery.

At present, all victims of modern slavery –regardless of their background – are entitled to specialist support such as safe house accommodation, wraparound holistic support and assistance in accessing essential services to help them recover. This Bill would remove that right for thousands who have found themselves being tricked, traded and trapped through no fault of their own.

The Salvation Army is calling on the Government to remove the modern slavery system from a Bill designed to tackle illegal immigration because we do not believe that modern slavery is a loophole for people to enter the UK illegally.

Kathy Betteridge, Director of Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery for The Salvation Army, responded to the initial publication of the Bill with the following statement:

‘The Salvation Army is extremely concerned that the Illegal Migration Bill will have an unintended but nevertheless devastating impact on victims of modern slavery.

Illegal immigration is a weapon used to exploit people for profit, and it’s essential that the Government tackle the inhumane use of small boats by criminal gangs. We may never know the true number of those who have perished at sea. However, automatically detaining and then removing people as they arrive will deliver vulnerable people back into the hands of the criminal gangs who have exploited them. This does nothing to break the cycle of exploitation or help victims break free. Rather, it feeds the criminal networks who profit from the lives of vulnerable people. It is essential that genuine victims of modern slavery aren’t refused the right to seek our help.

We have yet to see evidence to show that the modern slavery system is being widely exploited. This system must not be collateral damage in the Government’s efforts to tackle illegal immigration.

We are therefore concerned that this Bill undermines the fundamental principles of our support systems where, regardless of background, if someone has been exploited, they are entitled to support.

This Bill will also require survivors of modern slavery who entered the UK illegally to co-operate with the criminal justice system or be removed. This will not help the majority of survivors whose cases don’t progress to court and fails to recognise that these vulnerable people, often recovering from hideous abuse, need time and to feel safe and supported before they are able to help the police and legal systems prosecute their perpetrators.

We welcome the Government’s concern around speeding up the decision-making on modern slavery cases. Through our network of modern slavery safe houses and support workers, we see how waiting a long time for these decisions can hinder a survivor’s ability to recover and rebuild their life.

However, we urge the Government to focus on proper resourcing of the decision-making processes and training of first responders. These are the people who are responsible for identifying and providing government decision-makers with the information they need to make good decisions. In this way genuine victims will feel confident to come forward for support.

We have serious concerns that, without major amendments, this Bill will have the unintended consequence of undermining the rights of survivors of modern slavery and make it harder for genuine victims to access support through the existing systems. Indeed, we risk closing the door on genuine victims and undermining progress made in bringing trafficking networks to justice.

The Salvation Army will continue to speak out alongside survivors, our partners and other specialists to make sure there is investment in the right measures to guarantee that survivors can get the support they are entitled to.’

The facts:

• Many people are tricked, traded and trapped into modern slavery by criminals as they flee from persecution and conflict.

• Just six per cent of people who enter the UK on small boats access modern slavery services.

• Government decision-makers agreed that nearly 9 out of 10 people referred for help as victims of modern slavery were genuine.

• Successful prosecutions of traffickers rely on survivor co-operation. We know that safety and proper support is vital in encouraging survivors help bring their traffickers to justice.

For more than 150 years The Salvation Army has been fighting to seek justice for all people who face exploitation and abuse every day, as well as those who are at risk or recovering. We are responding across the world and in the UK with practical support to help vulnerable communities become more resilient to the threat and to help survivors rebuild their lives.

The Salvation Army provides specialist support to recovering adult survivors of modern slavery who have been referred in England and Wales. We work every day with people who have been tricked and trapped into slavery while criminals make profit from them. Our support helps them rebuild their lives as they start to recover from their ordeal.

The proposed new measures will put vulnerable people at even greater risk by removing the protections offered by life-changing support.

What you can do

Join The Salvation Army in its calls to ensure victims get the support they need and deserve by taking part in our campaigning action.

Find out how you can take action by scanning the code below or visiting www.salvationarmy.org.uk/ modern-slavery/protect-survivors-rights

By Major Heather Grinsted