Since the Modern Slavery Act’s passage in 2015, successive governments have weakened its protections for survivors by changing the act’s guidelines and restricting its support.
This trend continued with the Illegal Migration Act, passed this year. Survivors of trafficking arriving irregularly to the UK are now prevented from accessing support due to their immigration status. The Nationality and Borders Act also came into force this year. This latter piece of legislation subjects victims to higher evidence thresholds much earlier in their recovery period, subjects them to criminal background checks, and restricts support for survivors of trafficking in cases where victims don’t disclose abuse ‘quickly’ enough.
We asked five people with lived experience of severe exploitation, all of whom would have faced deportation under this new legislation, what steps the UK could now take to undo the damage and begin building a system that allows survivors to recover emotionally, financially, and physically after modern slavery.
