New bill may leave modern slavery victims without protection

Statement from Major Kathy Betteridge, Director of Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery for The Salvation Army

In response to the publication of the Border Security, Asylum & Immigration Bill, on 30th January, 2025, Major Kathy Betteridge said:

“We are pleased to see that the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill repeals many of the harmful modern slavery provisions in the Illegal Migration Act 2023 that, if enforced, could deny protection and support to many survivors who arrive or are trafficked into the UK by irregular routes. We also welcome the removal of the Safety of Rwanda Act, which could have subjected survivors of modern slavery to deportation instead of receiving the specialist care and support they need to recover from exploitation.  

Illegal immigration is a weapon used to exploit people for profit and it’s essential that the Government tackle this inhumane trade by criminal gangs. However we are concerned that this Bill does not go far enough to ensure all survivors can access the vital support services we and our partners provide .

The Bill has kept  a measure from the Illegal Migration Act which means that potential victims could, if the measure is commenced, be disqualified from protection because they have previously had a prison sentence. We believe this risks excluding  trafficking survivors who were forced to commit crimes under duress by their traffickers from receiving support. 

Many of the survivors we support at The Salvation Army are forced into criminality by their exploiters. In 2023, 28% of all survivors referred to the National Referral Mechanism experienced criminal exploitation.* We are disappointed that there were not opportunities to share our expertise on the needs of survivors – expertise we have gained by listening to their voices - before this Bill was published.

We must protect the rights of all survivors. The people we support tell us how the criminals who exploited them use threats, fear and intimidation to keep them from seeking help. It is vital that survivors of modern slavery can safely come forward, receive protection and specialist care, and, if and when they feel able, help authorities bring their traffickers to justice. Closing the door to support for many survivors allows traffickers continue to operate with impunity and leaves victims with nowhere to turn."  

* NRM Statistics End of Year Summary 2023