Writing in the Sunday Telegraph yesterday (31 July) the Prime Minister Theresa May announced that she is setting up a new cross- departmental task force to drive forward the fight against exploitation.

In her previous role as Home Secretary, Mrs May oversaw the introduction of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and yesterday marked one year since the modified criminal justice measures in that Act came into force. A review of the effectiveness of that Act, commissioned by the Home Office and also published yesterday identified that although there are early positive signs, there is still work to be done to ensure that the police, prosecutors and the courts are effective in identifying victims and bringing traffickers to justice.

The review highlighted that there has been a year on year increase in the number of victims being identified through the official National Referral Mechanism, and also that there has been an increase in the number of prosecutions 289 in 2015 compared with 253 in 2014. The review also notes that a number of the new civil orders have been put in place by courts to help prevent convicted traffickers or individuals who pose a risk from committing future offences.

However, the report identifies that there is more that needs to be done in improving training for police officers, prosecutors and judges, increasing knowledge and channels of communication between police forces and others in the criminal justice system so that information, and also more effort needs to be made to ensure victims receive adequate support. In her Sunday Telegraph article Mrs May commits the new government task force to taking each of these issues forward.

Although the review is focused on the operation of the criminal justice system CARE is encouraged that it also recommends the Government should increase the opportunities for an individual’s support to be extended beyond the 45 day reflection and recovery period and formalise clear responsibilities of local authorities to care for victims when they leave the National Referral Mechanism support. Victims are much more able to provide useful evidence to police and to courts if they feel safe and supported.

In her article the Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of working at an international level with police and governments around the world in order to respond to the trans-national criminal gangs which are involved in a lot of human trafficking and to prevent people falling prey to their exploitation. She also committed £33 million of the UK’s overseas aid budget over the next five years for prevention work in the countries from which many victims are trafficked to the UK.

It is encouraging to see that Mrs May is carrying forward her focus on human trafficking and exploitation into her time as Prime Minister. CARE welcomes the Prime Minister’s announcements this week and urges the new task force to take urgent steps to implement the recommendations of the Modern Slavery Act Review.