Tell your MP: “Hear survivors. Support survivors”

The problem

Survivors of modern slavery, including human trafficking, are being let down. Most survivors have to fight for basics, like safe housing and counselling. At worst, survivors are at risk of homelessness, physical or emotional harm, poverty or re-trafficking because of the lack of help on offer once they come forward.

“Many [survivors] are lured back, because
the perpetrators know survivors are in need
and the government won’t help them.“

– After Exploitation campaigner with
lived experience of modern slavery

Ask your MP to sign the pledge

Writing to your MP is a fantastic way of making your voice count for survivors of modern slavery and trafficking. If enough voters raise their concerns, MPs are more likely to take a stand on an issue or make a statement publicly calling on the government to act.

Use the link to find out who your MP is, and then use the template letter to ask your MP to sign the ‘hear survivors, support survivors’ pledge. Make sure to add your own thoughts, feelings and perspectives to the letter for a bigger impact.

Email your MP

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Thank you for your response. ✨

MP letter template

Dear [MP name],

As your constituent based at [address/post code], I am writing to ask you to make a public commitment to the “Hear survivors / Support survivors” pledge endorsed by specialist organisations led by, or support, survivors of modern slavery. As my MP, I call on you to use your platform to advocate for modern slavery and human trafficking survivors, addressing the urgent need for guaranteed support and improvements to identification.

Modern slavery is growing. Last year alone, 23,411 people were referred as potential victims but the real number is likely much higher. 136,000 people are thought to be living in conditions of modern slavery. Survivors can be exploited in many forms, including sexual exploitation, labour abuse, domestic servitude, criminal exploitation, and organ harvesting.

Even when survivors are referred into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) to be identified and supported, they face a system that is increasingly difficult to navigate. Recent changes have raised the evidence threshold to an unrealistic standard and the courts have since found that the evidence bar was too high. Specialist reports and assessments are almost-impossible for survivors to secure alone, and difficult to cover through legal aid even if the survivor has an advocate.

Those who are not recognised as victims by the NRM cannot access dedicated support they are entitled to, putting survivors at serious risk. As one survivor campaigner describes:

“Many [survivors] are lured back by perpetrators… If you’re waiting two or three years for compensation, but the trafficker is saying ‘here is food tomorrow, clothes tomorrow’… it makes you want to go back.”

Data shows that just 13% of adult survivors access safe housing, and only 4% receive counselling through the government’s support contract. Many are deemed ‘ineligible’ for support altogether. For child victims, there are no guaranteed dedicated services for children who have been exploited.

Yet, we know that when survivors can access their rights on paper in reality, including safe housing, mental health support, legal advice, and immigration security, they can rebuild their lives.

This is why I am asking you to support the pledge and publicly advocate for two clear priorities:

1. Support survivors: Make help a guarantee
Survivors should not have to fight for basic support. Placing rights into UK law, based on the minimum standards set out in the European Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings (ECAT), would ensure access to safe and secure housing, mental health support, legal advice, compensation, and immigration protection. Currently, these are not guaranteed in practice. Without legal backing, too many survivors are left without the support they need to recover.

2. Hear survivors: End the culture of disbelief
Recent changes under the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 have made it harder for survivors to be recognised, by increasing evidence requirements and introducing policies that penalise survivors based on immigration status or offences they were forced to commit. Survivors are now expected to provide detailed evidence early in their recovery, despite trauma often affecting memory and disclosure. These changes should be reversed.

As one survivor, Sara*, explained to openDemocracy this month:

“Much of the abuse occurred in circumstances where I had little control and there was limited documentation or tangible proof available to me… It was extremely difficult to provide specific dates and timelines.”

These barriers are not inevitable, they are recent policy choices which can be reversed.

By signing this pledge, you are supporting evidence-based reforms to ensure survivors are believed and supported when they take the difficult step or reporting exploitation. Without this commitment, the UK continues to risk the lives of survivors.

I urge you to add your name to the pledge and to speak publicly on the importance of hearing and supporting survivors of modern slavery.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response.

Kind regards,
[Your Name]

What happens once I write?

You should receive a response from your MP and, if you don’t, you can chase them up to ask why they have not responded! You might want to meet with them personally to raise the issue, or share our joint charity briefing with them.

If you receive a positive or negative response, we would be so grateful to hear from you about your experience! Maya@afterexploitation.org is the best way to reach out to us