Today, CARE joined with partner organisations in the Free for Good campaign and other anti-slavery groups to hand in petitions to the Home Office and No 10 Downing Street, asking the Government to back the Modern Slavery (Victim Support) Bill.

More than 60,000 members of the public have taken a variety of actions to support the Bill, from petitioning the Prime Minister and Home Secretary to contacting their MP via email and social media.

Close to Home

Modern slavery is far more prevalent than many of us realise. There are estimated to be a staggering 136,000 people in modern slavery in the UK, far higher than was previously thought.

In 2015, the Modern Slavery Act was passed into law, which represented a significant breakthrough in the fight against human traffickers.

However, while containing many positives, there is definite room for improvement, especially in relation to victim support.

Improving victim support

At the moment, the Government guarantees only 45 days support for potential victims, while their cases are reviewed by the Home Office to decide whether they are victims of modern slavery and if they are given victim status, they receive a further 45 days.

While this is a recent increase on the 14 days they were previously offered, CARE does not believe this is long enough for victims to rebuild their lives.

Modern Slavery (Victim Support) Bill

CARE is currently supporting the Modern Slavery (Victim Support) Bill. This vital piece of legislation would ensure that all confirmed victims of modern slavery in England and Wales would receive accommodation, counselling, healthcare, a support worker and legal advice for at least 12 months after the authorities grant them victim status.

It would also guarantee their immigration status for the first 12 months so victims can focus on recovering and rebuilding their lives, free from the threat of immediate deportation.

The Bill is sponsored by Lord McColl of Dulwich and Iain Duncan Smith MP and is currently is waiting for a second reading in the House of Commons after passing through the House of Lords unopposed.

If this Bill is ever to become law, it needs Government backing or else it will run out of parliamentary time.

CARE’s Senior Policy Officer – Human Trafficking, Louise Gleich said:

“Providing victims with adequate support is not just the right thing to do for their recovery, it is also essential if we are to bring traffickers to justice and prevent them exploiting others in the future.

“Without protection, support and stability victims cannot give evidence to police and courts meaning traffickers go free and the cycle of exploitation continues.”

Find out more

The Sun recently launched its Stamp Out Slavery campaign to raise awareness about modern slavery and to call on the Government to back Lord McColl’s Bill.

In this video, watch Lord McColl explain why his Victim Support Bill is so important: