New report urges UK to improve access to justice for survivors of modern slavery

Hope for Justice has published a major report that looks at how the UK can improve access to justice for survivors of modern slavery. 

There are so many barriers for survivors as they try to rebuild their lives after exploitation. From delays in decision-making to the lack of specialist, trauma-informed support, there are certainly improvements to be made to the UK’s response to modern slavery. 

Our new report, entitled ‘Beyond Survival: Living free, not in survival mode, and being able to dream again’, explores what justice means to survivors of modern slavery and what their experiences are of accessing the support they need for their recovery. 

A substantial amount of the evidence for the report is based on the input of people who have lived experience of modern slavery, including members of the Human Trafficking Foundation’s Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP). We also held workshops and interviews to capture insights from across all four nations of the UK. This included: NGO partners, government representatives, councils, police services, health workers and others who often encounter potential victims of modern slavery. 

What is clear from our research is that survivors of modern slavery want to live without fear and without being defined or hindered by their exploitation. For some, ‘justice’ means to be free. 

Sosa Henkoma, a LEAP Consultant, told us: “Especially coming from child criminal exploitation, justice means to be free. Freedom is not just the fact of being able to live life, it is about being able to not be in ‘survival mode’. To me justice means that I’m able to move on from my situation and able to use it as a strength. Not feeling trapped, able to access knowledge, able to access support and feel I have a roof over my head which means safety.” 

For others with lived experience of modern slavery, ‘justice’ meant “to be in control”, “to [have] what you have missed out on”, and “to be able to dream again”. 

Euan Fraser (pictured above, left) Hope for Justice’s Senior Policy & Research Advisor and the report’s author, said: “Survivors deserve justice. But who defines justice is vital. In a governance structure which places a strong emphasis on law and immigration enforcement, ‘justice’ might naturally lead someone to perceive ‘justice’ as equating to accountability. However, when asking those who have experienced modern slavery and human trafficking what they understood justice to mean, justice meant being able to live fully free, not living in fear, not feeling hindered by their experience of exploitation. Having somewhere safe to live, being able to work or go back to education. The question then follows: how well does our current approach enable that justice? At each stage of the process it seems, there are barriers and challenges which stem from a system which has not been designed with the objective of seeing survivors achieve their own sense of justice. These systemic problems undermine much of the good work which is done by statutory organisations and NGOs.” 

Our report offers a survivor-centred response to modern slavery that is led by their needs and recommendations. This paper outlines several recommendations for reforming the system of identification of survivors, access to support and criminal accountability. A summary of the recommendations is below, or you can read the full list in the report. 

The paper has been formally launched in Parliament today (Tuesday 15^th October) at an event hosted by MP Sarah Champion and attended by survivor consultants and Hope for Justice staff. 

Its publication coincides with Anti-Slavery Week (14th-20th October), during which Hope for Justice is hosting a whole week of events and campaigns which individuals and organisations can take part in. This is an opportunity to raise awareness of the 49.6 million people worldwide who are trapped in modern slavery, and to call on people to be a part of the movement to end this heinous crime. 

Eleanor Lyons, the UK’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, wrote in the Foreword of the report: “This report is right that our ambition for survivors should not be that they are just able to live in ‘survival mode’ but that every survivor should be able to ‘dream again’. By implementing the recommendations in this report, we can improve survivors’ access to ‘justice’ and ensure that victims receive the care they deserve whilst increasing the prosecutions of the horrendous crime of modern slavery.”  

Whilst improvements can be made to the UK system as it currently exists, to address the barriers that survivors face in their recovery and pursuit of justice, it is vital to address the structural framework underpinning the UK’s anti-slavery response. 

The report concludes: “The process for identifying and supporting survivors of modern slavery is not structured to reflect their needs or experiences. The Home Office is primarily responsible for immigration and law enforcement which is not the right governance structure for identification of victims and the delivery of specialist, trauma-informed support. An enforcement response actively undermines survivors’ confidence and trust.” 

Below is an outline of the recommendations that Hope for Justice makes in ‘Beyond Survival: Living free, not in survival mode, and being able to dream again’. For the full list of recommendations, view the report here. 

The report and full list of recommendations can be accessed here.