British victims of modern slavery “continue to fall through gaps”, warns new report

Government focus on illegal migration has come at the cost of failing modern slavery victims, claims new report.

The report warns that progress on tackling modern slavery has “stalled” since the landmark Modern Slavery Act and raises concerns that “new legislation has been introduced that undermines the legacy” of the world leading Act.

A renewed vision for the fight against modern slavery in the UK, from the Modern Slavery Policy Unit – led by independent think tank the Centre for Social Justice and anti-slavery charity Justice and Care – calls on all of the UK political parties to commit to making the fight against modern slavery a priority in the first 100 days of their potential government.

The report criticises the government for misunderstanding modern slavery as an immigration issue. It says that “separating modern slavery from immigration is fundamental to building an appropriate response to this serious crime, especially in making sure British victims do not go unseen. It should be the first priority for a new government to make sure that modern slavery is treated as a serious and organised crime and that its victims are safeguarded appropriately.”

It highlights three key principles that should guide the next government:

Modern slavery continues to grow under this mistaken policy agenda. Modern slavery offences recorded by the police have increased nearly 700 per cent since the year ending June 2016 to 9,694 offences in the year ending June 2023. However, despite a continuous rise in the number of victims identified and the number of modern slavery crimes recorded by the police, the number of criminals convicted for perpetrating modern slavery crimes remains consistently low.

British nationals are consistently the top nationality of potential victims of slavery referred for support into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). In 2023, one in four possible victims of modern slavery were British nationals, most of whom were British children. CSJ research has found that many British victims still go unidentified as they are not recognised as being trafficked and exploited due to this policy error.

Yet, the true scale of modern slavery remains unknown. Since 2009, the number of potential victims identified and referred to the NRM – has been growing year on year on average by 30 per cent, except for 2020 and 2023, with a total of 17,004 potential victims identified and referred for support in 2023. However, according to CSJ analysis of police data, these figures are often badly underestimating the truth. The CSJ have estimated that, in 2020, there were “at least 100,000 men, women and children trapped in modern slavery across the UK”, nearly ten times the NRM figures.

It highlights three top recommendations that should guide the next government:

Tatiana Gren-Jardan, Head of the Modern Slavery Unit said:

“Modern slavery is getting worse, and politicians have lost sight of how to fight back. We are challenging every political party to reset the agenda and confront the scourge of modern slavery head on.

“The next government has an opportunity to crack down on this vile practice and support victims across the country.

“We need our politicians to stand up and spearhead the fight against this horrendous abuse and exploitation that reaches across our entire country.

“We cannot continue to fail victims.”

In the foreword, Lord Randall and Baroness O’Grady said:

“The introduction of the Modern Slavery Act in 2015 established the UK as a clear global leader in the fight against modern slavery. Nearly ten years on, despite some initial progress, overall, we are moving in the wrong direction.

“The next government has a unique opportunity and a duty to put things right by reinvigorating the UK’s response to modern slavery, where political leadership has waned. The nature of the crime has evolved and as such our response must adapt and be strengthened to meet the new challenges posed by this rapidly growing threat to our communities.

“This includes by treating the crime of modern slavery as it truly is – a crime against some of the most vulnerable in our society.”