Alarm as 1000s of modern slavery cases rejected

CARE has expressed alarm at the number of modern slavery cases being rejected after a Home Office crackdown on "bogus claims".

The number of of cases involving potential victims has increased sharply since January, after tougher rules were introduced.

More than 3,000 people have been denied help in the first half of the year, prompting concern that genuine victims are being missed.

Rebecca Stevenson, policy expert on modern slavery at CARE, said:

“We have serious concerns about the rapid decline in potential victims of modern slavery receiving positive reasonable grounds decisions whilst trying to access the National Referral Mechanism. Nearly five times as many applications were rejected in the first six months of this year as were rejected during the same period last year. We previously warned that radical changes to the objective evidence threshold made by the UK Government would result in genuine victims not being able to access help.

“New requirements for evidence such as travel documents will be unattainable for genuine trafficking victims. We also know from sources working within the sector that new evidence requirements are being applied retrospectively to claims made before the changes were introduced. Controversial moves by the government, and the recently passed Illegal Migration Bill, are making the UK an increasingly hostile environment for victims of modern slavery and making it more unlikely that genuine victims will seek help.”

ENDS

Notes for Editors

CARE is a social policy charity, bringing Christian insight to the policies and laws that affect our lives. Contact us: press@care.org.uk