After Exploitation

• A significant number of modern slavery survivors are sometimes referred more than once, according to new data obtained by After Exploitation
• One potential victim was referred seven times, with the most recent referral taking place last year
• Data sparks fears that lack of support in the system is leaving survivors vulnerable to being re-trafficked

26th July 2024 – New data secured by After Exploitation reveals that a significant number of trafficking victims referred last year had already been referred previously.

After Exploitation requested this data, following concerns raised by practitioners in our report ‘A can of worms’: Challenges and opportunities in gathering modern slavery evidence. In the report, interviewees explain that they have observed cases where victims are left vulnerable to being targeted by traffickers repeatedly, because of insufficient support or decisions to deport non-UK victims back to the same settings where exploitation occurred in the first place.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, we requested data on the number of people who had been referred for a trafficking incident to the authorities more than once.

The Home Office confirmed 2,018 repeat referrals where the latest referral was last year, and 1,013 repeat referrals where the most recent referral was between 1st Jan – 31st May 2024.

The Home Office caveats the repeat referrals data by stating that some individuals may have multiple referrals over time “for the same incident [of trafficking]”, however they did not provide a further breakdown, and there is no known alternative source through which to secure information on re-trafficking in the UK. The previous Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Dame Sara Thornton, was not granted access to data or evidence on repeat exploitation whilst she was monitoring the Government’s performance in this area. In a 2021 report, ‘Re-trafficking: The current state of play’, Thornton said:

“We do not have an agreed definition of re-trafficking and the evidence is largely anecdotal. I have found no reliable data and a request to the Home Office was made five months ago with no response.”

Thornton’s report highlighted that inadequate protection was leading to survivors remaining vulnerable to being repeatedly targeted by exploiters. 71% of organisations approached by the IASC “were able to provide
case study examples of re-trafficking.” (pg 9)

Speaking to the Guardian this morning about the findings, After Exploitation’s director Maya Esslemont said that a failure to protect survivors was leading to inconsistent outcomes for those who come forward:

“Reform cannot wait. Survivors must be guaranteed access to support including safe housing and counselling the minute they are recognised by the National Referral Mechanism, the UK’s decision-making body on modern slavery,”

“The ‘case by case’ decision-making, in which some survivors don’t get help, is ruining lives. We know that survivors of modern slavery face a lottery of support, even after jumping through evidential hoops. These protections are necessary to reduce vulnerability and make it harder for exploiters to repeatedly target victims.

“As it stands, this data illustrates the UK’s failure to sufficiently support survivors.”