This week MPs heard evidence from charities CARE works with via the Free for Good campaign and former Anti-Slavery Commissioner Kevin Hyland on how the current system was letting down victims of modern slavery.

The Home Affairs Select Committee, chaired by Yvette Cooper MP, heard how the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the process by which victims of modern slavery are formally identified, is not working for victims and needs urgent reform.

Provisions found in Lord McColl’s Modern Slavery (Victim Support) Bill were also recommended to the Committee as essential, such as a longer period of victim support and a right to remain.

In a question specific to victim support both Phillipa Roberts, Director of Legal for Hope for Justice and Kate Roberts, Head of Office for the Human Trafficking Foundation, both said that the key issue for them was that when a victim is formally identified through the NRM it should mean something in law, particularly it should give them access to more long-term support.

Under the current system, victims receive support while the authorities decide whether or not there is evidence they have been a victim of trafficking. When that is confirmed, victims only receive 14 more days of support.

Phillipa Roberts highlighted that 70% of modern slavery victims that Hope for Justice works with would have been homeless if the charity had not intervened because of the lack of statutory support for victims of modern slavery. Other evidence has shown that the lack of support available has meant victims of modern slavery are often left destitute, homeless and at risk of being re-trafficked.

Kate Roberts: “I think it is very unrealistic if we think of the times that people have been exploited for in many cases and the vulnerabilities that led to people being exploited that you can exit that situation and just be fine in a short period of time”.

Following this evidence, Kevin Hyland then spoke at length about how modern slavery victims are being let down by the Government. In his testimony the former Anti-Slavery Commissioner says victims are not being properly looked after once they have escaped or have been rescued.

This is not the first time MPs have heard how vital the measures in Lord McColl’s Bill are, and how modern slavery victims across the country are being left vulnerable because of the lack on long-term support available to them. Earlier this month there was a Westminster Hall debate on tackling modern slavery where several MPs showed support for Lord McColl’s Bill.

The Committee will be taking evidence on the issue of modern slavery over the next month, with other Free for Good partners set to give evidence. CARE hopes that the Committee will include the recommendation for Lord McColl’s Bill to be made law in its final report and that it puts further pressure on the Government to back the Bill.

You can watch the Committee session in full here.

Find out more about CARE’s work on modern slavery here.