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Surge in suspected modern slavery victims waiting years for Home Office decisions, figures show

Exclusive: Number of potential victims left in limbo rises 52 per cent in three months

Social Affairs Correspondent

Thursday 02 January 2020 01:13 GMT

A total of 605 people had been waiting more than two years in the latest figures, compared with 397 in June 2019 – a rise of 52 per cent, according to FoI data (Getty/iStock)

The number of suspected modern slavery victims left waiting over two years for a Home Office decision on their case has surged by more than half in just three months, fuelling concerns that a delay-ridden system is pushing people back into exploitation.

New data obtained through freedom of information laws show 4,991 people had been waiting for more than six months for a decision from the National referral Mechanism (NRM) – the UK’s framework for identifying modern slavery victims – in September 2019, compared with 4,027 just three months before in June.

A total of 605 people had been waiting more than two years in the latest figures, compared with 397 in June 2019 – a rise of 52 per cent.

The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is designed to identify modern slavery victims and offer them a 45-day period to recover while the Home Office investigates their case. A decision on whether their claim is genuine should be made “as soon as possible” after this period.

The status of their immigration and whether or not the claimant could face criminal charges are two of the potential consequences dependent on the outcome of the decision.

Modern Slavery in the UK

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1/13Modern Slavery in the UK

Modern Slavery in the UK

NCA has launched a touring photographic exhibition which aims to portray the signs of slavery and exploitation. Entitled ‘Invisible People’, the exhibition will tour the country as part of the National Crime Agency’s campaign to raise awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking.

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Child trafficking

Child trafficking for sexual exploitation Traffickers use grooming techniques to gain the trust of a child, family or community. The children are recruited, transported and then sold for sex, often returning to their homes immediately afterwards, only to be picked up by the same people again. This is happening here in the UK, to migrant and British-born children. Spot the signs of child trafficking: Often, children won’t be sure which country, city or town they’re in. They may be orphaned or living apart from their family, in unregulated private foster care, or in substandard accommodation. They may possess unaccounted-for money or goods or repeatedly have new, unexplained injuries.

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Agriculture

Some workers in the farming sector, harvesting grains or root vegetables, tending livestock or fruit picking, are being exploited every day in the UK. Victims of this crime in the agricultural sector are often Eastern European men and women, who were promised a job by traffickers, or they could be individuals on the fringes of society, homeless or destitute. Through threats, violence, coercion or forced drug and alcohol dependency, they’re enslaved, working for little or no money, living in squalid conditions having had their identity documents taken from them. Spot the signs of exploitative labour in agriculture: Agricultural slaves often have their wages paid into the same bank account, meaning an illegal gangmaster is likely collecting all their wages. Exploited agriculture workers often don’t have suitable protective equipment, working instead in cheap sports clothing and trainers, and don’t have a different change of clothes from day-to-day.

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Food processing

Polish or Slovakian men are brought to the UK with the offer of employment and, after arrival, gangmasters seize documents, opening multiple bank and utility accounts in their names – but refuse to handover access to the accounts or bank cards. Hours are long and the work is gruelling and dangerous. Workers are abused and are controlled by threats of harm to their families at home. Spot the signs: Those exploited wear inappropriate clothes and often no safety gear – despite working with dangerous and life-threatening equipment. They may often have untreated injuries and be refused medical attention, and will live and work in agricultural outhouses.

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Construction

Labour-intensive sectors like construction, where temporary and irregular work are common, are high-risk sectors for forced labour. With new homes, offices and buildings being constructed or upgraded in great quantity, labour exploitation is the second most common type of modern slavery, after sexual exploitation. Spot the signs of exploitative labour in construction: Exploited workers are often not provided with protective clothing or equipment, and may show signs of abuse or carry old untreated injuries. Slave workers are also likely to work extremely long work hours for six or seven days a week without any leave. Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: “I wanted this image to communicate that despite being forced to live, eat, wash and sleep – where they’re working, in cramped and unhygienic conditions, that there is a human instinct to domesticate. I wanted to show how there is still hope and dignity in the most squalid and difficult of circumstances.”

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Maritime

In the tough maritime industry young men, often Filipino or Indian, Eastern European or African, are promised a better life, but instead find themselves in a cycle of debt and exploitation. Unable to read, they are offered a job, given papers to sign and begin working on a trial-basis, only to be told they have failed and owe money, and have to work more to settle the debt. They may be forced to work for long hours in intense, hazardous and difficult conditions. Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: “In the 80s, Chris Killip published a series of images called In Flagrante, and these images were at the forefront of my mind while composing this shot. I wanted to show the utter desperation of these men - how passed their limit they are. The broken floats and the entire decaying environment around him, I saw as a metaphor for his existence.”

Rory Carnegie/National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Forced prostitution

Each year, women from across Eastern Europe and West Africa are lured to the UK by the dream of a better life. Whether by fake migration services or unscrupulous individuals who befriend and then betray them, women fall into a dark spiral of sexual exploitation and forced, unpaid prostitution, unable to escape. Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: “What I really wanted for this image, was to depict how women are used as commodities, the complete control slavery has over them – the helplessness of having to sit and wait for man after man, until no more men arrive. I wanted the image to show how lonely and eventually numbing that experience is, and for that ugliness to be contrasted against the bright blue of the wig – a fancy dress item that we would usually associate with a fun event – but here is used as a disguise, perhaps of her own identity to herself - to further emphasise how unjust the situation is.”

NCA

Modern Slavery in the UK

Cannabis farming

The cannabis industry hides a dark secret in the house next door. Gangs bring young boys to the UK from countries like Vietnam and deliver them to a house where, once in, they won’t be able to leave. Forced to tend cannabis plants that fill specially rigged houses, the boys are often locked in and forced to work, sleep and eat in one confined and dirty room. The chemicals used on the cannabis are poisonous, and often victims don’t know where they are or how to get help if they do escape. The eyes, ears and compassion of the local community are essential. Spot the signs: Aside from the strong and prolonged smell of cannabis, have you noticed a house that looks unusual? Are the windows covered or usual entry points blocked? Buildings might be over-heated – in very cold weather is the roof without frost, because the house is being kept warm to grow plants

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Agriculture

Some workers in the farming sector, harvesting grains or root vegetables, tending livestock or fruit picking, are being exploited every day in the UK. Victims of this crime in the agricultural sector are often Eastern European men and women, who were promised a job by traffickers, or they could be individuals on the fringes of society, homeless or destitute. Through threats, violence, coercion or forced drug and alcohol dependency, they’re enslaved, working for little or no money, living in squalid conditions having had their identity documents taken from them. Spot the signs of exploitative labour in agriculture: Agricultural slaves often have their wages paid into the same bank account, meaning an illegal gangmaster is likely collecting all their wages. Exploited agriculture workers often don’t have suitable protective equipment, working instead in cheap sports clothing and trainers, and don’t have a different change of clothes from day-to-day

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Forced prostitution

Spot the signs of forced prostitution: Victims of this type of crime might appear withdrawn or scared, avoid eye contact, and be untrusting. Poor English language skills could indicate exploitation because it suggests someone else must be arranging the work. A brothel is likely to be an average house on a normal looking street, but may have curtains which are usually closed and many different men coming and going frequently.

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Maritime

Spot the signs of exploitative labour in the maritime sector: Victims might appear withdrawn or frightened, often unable to answer questions directed at them or speak for themselves,. They might be afraid of authorities like police, immigration or the tax office, and may perceive themselves to be in debt to someone else. They may not have been given proper protective equipment so can suffer illness or injury. Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: “Throughout the series of images, I wanted to juxtapose the harshness of the lives of slaves against bright primary colours – colours we traditionally associate with happiness or a feeling of wellbeing – to provoke a reaction. The image, as rich as it is, communicates how completely uncomfortable this person is. I wanted to show how his body is not his own, and how he has no right to avoid hardship, avoid the ice, or wear better shoes, he is utterly controlled.”

Rory Carnegie/National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Food processing

Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: “This image communicates utter exhaustion and dejection. We can see how dire his situation is. He has no protective gear on, and we can see the extreme tiredness that leads him to a place of anxiety and distraction, where he doesn’t care about whether he’s operating machinery safely, or putting himself at risk.”

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

The exhibition comprises a series of large, freestanding cubes displaying images capturing snapshots of life within different types of modern slavery - in agriculture, construction, maritime, cannabis farming and food processing, child trafficking for sexual exploitation and forced prostitution. Each image comes with written commentary describing what the viewer is seeing, and information about signs which may indicate someone is a victim.

National Crime Agency

Campaigners said the growing waiting times undermined the recovery process and were leaving victims in limbo and at risk of falling back into the hands of their abusers.

Graham O’Neill, policy manager at the Scottish Refugee Council, which obtained the data, said the figures exposed that the “pattern of Home Office persistent delays” in the asylum system had now been allowed to spread to the NRM. “This cannot go on,” he said.

“Far from protecting people and enabling recovery, such limbo predicaments prevent that and deny the benefit of the full rights and support that the legislation and policy entitle survivors to.

“It can also make it more difficult for the police and prosecutors to bring exploiters to justice as survivors have not been fully recognised as such.”

Mr O’Neill argued that the NRM should be taken out of the Home Office. “There are multiple reasons now that the UK government must enable an independent agency to take control over deciding whether someone has survived trafficking and exploitation,” he said.

The rise in waiting times coincides with an ongoing increase in NRM referrals, which rose by 21 per cent over the same period, from 2,808 to 2,320, which experts said demonstrated the need for more investment in the system in order to match the level of demand.

Emily Kenway, senior adviser at the charity Focus on Labour Exploitation, said: “Evidently the number of referrals is higher than the system’s capacity so, while government should be proud of supporting victims it must invest to match the level of demand.

“Victims of trafficking have had their lives put on hold by their exploiters; the same should not continue once they’re in state support.”

Home Office forced to defend refusal to disclose detention of hundreds of modern slavery victims

Ms Kenway argued that if people were going to be left in limbo for so long they should be granted the right to work, which many in the NRM currently don’t have.

“Survivors’ families often rely on them sending money home, and survivors themselves need the chance to rebuild their lives, to earn and build new connections. By preventing them from doing so and having decision-making move so slowly, we are essentially entrapping them in a new system and failing to listen to their needs,” she added.

Kate Roberts, UK and Europe manager for Anti-Slavery International, said: “Entering the NRM and the process of being identified as trafficked should facilitate the beginning of recovery from slavery or trafficking. Delays undermine this.

“Many people cannot work while in the NRM. Instead they wait, unable to move on from the abuse they suffered, not knowing if they will be believed. Survivors describe how, rather than realising their hopes of study or work, they are stuck in limbo with nothing to fill their time and the feeling that they have gone from the control of traffickers to their lives being controlled by NRM decision-makers.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The UK Government is at the forefront of the global fight against modern slavery and is committed to stamping out this abhorrent crime.

“Significant progress has been made since the landmark Modern Slavery Act was passed in 2015, giving law enforcement greater powers to help stop criminals from exploiting innocent victims.

“We work to ensure that individuals referred into the National Referral Mechanism receive an initial decision within five working days. Adults identified as potential victims of modern slavery can receive accommodation, financial support, assistance in accessing mental and physical health care including counselling, and access to legal support.”

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