The UK's Response to Modern Slavery: Global Leader or Domestic Disaster?

The UK continues to be seen as a global leader in its efforts to tackle modern slavery, however the domestic reality appears very different. Over the past two years, the UK has introduced legislation that has radically shifted its response to immigration and modern slavery, conflating the two issues and moving towards an increasingly hostile environment to refugees and enslaved persons who are trafficked to the UK.

The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 was introduced to make provision for immigration and asylum, modern slavery and human trafficking. However, it has been condemned by the UNHCR, the Council of Europe, and GRETA, and has been highly criticised for its reduction of survivors' rights. Included in the Act and Statutory Guidance is the introduction of higher evidentiary thresholds for entry into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), as well as a reduction of the 'rest and recovery' period, and the introduction of Public Order and Bad Faith Disqualifications. The Nationality and Borders Act also re-introduced the use of physical examination and DNA testing of children during the age assessment process, methods previously removed due to their unreliability and immorality.

More recently, the Illegal Migration Bill sets out the intention that any foreign national who arrives in the UK via an irregular route will be ineligible for modern slavery support and will be detained and deported. Further, the Bill also sets out the ability for the Secretary of State to revoke asylum status or trafficking status if the individual is deemed a threat to public order.

Alongside these significant legislative changes, the government have also begun the implementation of plans to purchase barges which will each house 500 asylum seekers across a 222-bedroomed vessel, and the use of redundant military bases for the accommodation of asylum seekers.

This research therefore addresses the following questions:
1. What are the physical, mental, and social support needs of modern slavery survivors?
2. What are the factors that help or hinder survivors and their families in accessing support?
3. How has survivor support changed as a result of legislative changes, and how effective is this support?
4. In what ways have legislative and policy changes impacted survivors of modern slavery?

The research will utilise longitudinal observation and interviews to ensure that the voices of those with lived experience are central to the research. Participants would include recognised survivors and unrecognised victims of modern slavery, housed asylum seekers, homeless foreign nationals, pregnant asylum seekers, and those going through the family reunification process. I would also conduct interviews with Non-Government Organisations (NGO's), Local Authorities, Border Force, and the Home Office in order to gain professional insight on the legislation implementation.

A key stakeholder involved in this research is the Snowdrop Project, a charity providing long term support for survivors of modern slavery. I will work closely with the Snowdrop Project in order to obtain relevant data on the number of referrals received by the charity, in order to make connections with recognised and unrecognised survivors and to understand the changing support needs of survivors, while observing how the charity adapts as a result of the legislative changes.

I also plan to interview professionals from GRETA, the Council of Europe, and the US State Department in order to gain an understanding of the international response to the implementation of legislative changes. Finally, I would conduct an analysis of the UK's international obligations, such as the European Convention of Human Rights and The Council of Europe Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings, in order to evaluate the UK's response to modern slavery against our international commitments.