General Election Recommendations from the UK Anti-Slavery Sector
In advance of the forthcoming General Election, our organisations ask that all political parties express a renewed commitment to tackling modern slavery in the UK and around the world.
Policy makers and those delivering services must prioritise engaging and consulting with communities at risk and survivors in a consistent and meaningful manner. This is essential to ensuring that our collective response meets survivors’ needs and reflects their hopes and sense of justice.
In addition to pledging to tackle modern slavery in election manifestos, we ask that any future government to commit to the following principles to guide their Anti-Slavery Strategy.
Prevent Modern Slavery
Action must be taken across a range of policy areas in order to minimise the risk of modern slavery and human trafficking amongst at-risk communities both in the UK and globally. Hostile immigration policies, the lack of meaningful protection for workers, restrictive visas, inadequate child protection, homelessness and many other intersecting policies create vulnerability to exploitation and abuse. Any future government must therefore commit to adopting a holistic approach to minimise such vulnerabilities.
Prioritise Sustainable Recovery
In responding to survivors of modern slavery, it is essential that the Government adopt a survivor-centred and human rights-based approach. Recent years have shown that an immigration and law enforcement-led approach to modern slavery is ineffective both for ensuring adequate protection for survivors and for holding traffickers to account. Equally, the conflation of modern slavery with immigration has not only heightened vulnerability to exploitation, it has also undermined survivors’ recovery.
Survivors must be able to realise their rights to support, protection and justice, as contained in international law. This requires that survivors are able to access assistance including financial support, safe accommodation, legal aid advice and representation, long-term independent advocacy and support, compensation, and leave to remain. This requires a cross-government strategy.
Uphold Justice
Responsibility must underpin the government’s anti-slavery strategy. Modern slavery remains a low-risk, high-profit crime: relatively few traffickers are convicted and sentences are lenient. Survivors rarely receive compensation from those who exploit them. Businesses should be held accountable for their responsibility to identify and mitigate forced labour in their operations and supply chains.
We encourage the future government to commit to the vision in which perpetrators are held to account, victims are compensated, and businesses act responsibly.
Signed by:
Hope for Justice
The Salvation Army
Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit (ATLEU)
SOHTIS (Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland)
Anti-Slavery International
Snowdrop Project
Hope at Home
Migrant Help
Causeway
Justice and Care
West London Welcome
Sophie Hayes Foundation
Bawso
Bakhita Centre for Research on Slavery, Exploitation and Abuse, St. Mary’s University
Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX)
Medaille Trust
JustRight Scotland
ECPAT UK (Every Child Protected Against Trafficking)
Status Now 4 All (SN4A)
Birmingham Asylum & Refugee Association (BARA)
Midlands Asylum & Refugee Action Group (MARAG)
René Cassin, the Jewish voice for human rights.
Unseen
Kalayaan
Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS)
Kanlungan Filipino Consortium
Migrant Health and Care Workers
Glass Door Homeless Charity
Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group (ATMG)
Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA)
TRIBE Freedom Foundation
Stolen Dreams
Youth for Freedom Collective
Arise Foundation
The William Gomes Podcast
Southwark Against Modern Slavery
Helen Bamber Foundation
BASNET - UK BME AntiSlavery Network
AFRUCA Safeguarding Children
Palm Cove Society
After Exploitation
The Voice of Domestic Workers
Hestia
Association of Labour Providers
A21
Scottish Refugee Council
The Vavengers
Invisible Traffick
Hibiscus
It’s a Penalty
Shiva Foundation
52.Southeast and East Asian Centre (SEEAC)
53.The Anti-Slavery Collective
54.Jesuit Refugee Service UK
55.Azalea
56.Worker Support Centre (WSC)
57.Coalition to Stop Slavery
58.Ella’s
59.International Justice Mission UK