A decade on from the introduction of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the landscape of modern slavery and human trafficking in the UK has altered beyond recognition.

As a coalition of modern slavery organisations supporting all identified adult survivors in the National Referral Mechanism since 2011, we are calling upon the Government to re-new the UK's approach to supporting victims of these serious and brutal crimes, ensuring the physical and psychological safety of victims is first priority.

Our recommendations, first published in June 2024, set out to not only deliver long-term transformational changes and improve the safety of victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, but also to ensure that victim-survivors are once again put first.

We welcome the decision to assign the brief for modern slavery to the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, something we had called for in a previous iteration of this manifesto, prior to the 2024 election.

Recommendations

1. Repeal sections 22-29 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023, the Safety of Rwanda Act in its entirety, and sections 58-65 and 68-69 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. 
2. Ensure no Public Order Disqualifications occur where potential victims have no legal representation through a review of the Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance.
3. Prioritise decisions on the people in the National Referral Mechanism who have waited the longest.
4. Adopt a multi-disciplinary approach complemented by mechanisms for government accountability.
5. Undertake a comprehensive review of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).
6. Introduce the Right to Work for all survivors.
7. Conduct a thorough impact assessment into the legal aid crisis in the UK and invest in the legal aid infrastructure.
8. Ensure the lived experience of victims of human trafficking and modern slavery informs future policy.
9. Improve awareness and understanding of modern slavery, including through mandatory training for all statutory stakeholders.
10. Take steps to increase the number of prosecutions for perpetrators of human trafficking and modern slavery.