Migrant Help has been working with vulnerable people for 60 years. We have 15 years experience and expertise of supporting survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking.

Nearly 17,000 potential victims of modern slavery were identified in the UK in 2022.* This is a growing, complex and hidden crime, involving multiple forms of exploitation such as trafficking, slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour.

Often, those who have been exploited and trafficked do not have the full understanding of their situation. They are confused, afraid, traumatised, uncertain of the implications and hard to reach. Every person, every situation and every experience is unique. The moment of realisation of their true circumstances can be harrowing. Gaining their trust takes time, understanding and great skill.

For this, it is vital to provide dedicated support to help clients as they come to terms with their traumatic experience and begin to navigate the referral pathway system, reliving their trauma and dealing with the enormity of their circumstances.

This year has seen significant changes introduced to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), impacting the thresholds for claims of trafficking and modern slavery**. Completing this process, taking clients through each step, can take many weeks from start to finish. Due to lack of capacity within recognised first responder services, there is more demand then ever before and we now have waiting lists for this vital work. This is complex frontline work and requires the support of sympathetic, knowledgeable staff to guide those in need.

Migrant Help is a first responder service that identifies potential victims of trafficking and slavery for referral. As numbers identified increases, and the changes to thresholds for applications take effect, we now have an urgent need to increase our capacity to meet this growing demand.

We have secured £40,000 per year for the next three years, to fund a dedicated NRM First Responder Adviser, but we need more. Your pledge to support with matched funding would enable us to enhance our First Responder capacity and reach more people:

£40,000	Provides one dedicated NRM First Responder Adviser for one year, enabling us to support approximately 250 survivors of trafficking and modern slavery.
£80,000	Provides two dedicated NRM First Responder Advisers for one year, enabling us to support approximately 500 survivors of trafficking and modern slavery.
£120,000	Provides three dedicated NRM First Responder Advisers for one year, enabling us to support approximately 750 survivors of trafficking and modern slavery.

 

If you share our vision and would like to help us support survivors of trafficking and modern slavery, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact [email protected].

*In 2022, there were 16,938 potential victims of modern slavery in the UK referred into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) – a 33% increase over the previous year. Experts in the sector say this number represents just a small fraction of those impacted by a growing and complex crime, involving multiple forms of exploitation from trafficking, slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour.

**In January of this year, changes to the NRM following the Nationality and Borders Act have increased the burden of evidence potential victims of modern slavery must produce to receive support.