New report calls on government to involve survivors of trafficking and slavery when they develop law and policy
A new report, published today, calls on the government to make sweeping changes to the law and systems that impact survivors of trafficking and modern slavery.
Untapping a Power: Why employing survivors matters, reveals that people with lived experience of trafficking, modern slavery and migration are underrepresented in the sector. They face barriers such as being denied the right to work and lengthy delays in the trafficking, immigration and asylum systems.
‘You would think that it’s logical that the people that should be leading the organisation, or the main progress of the organisation, are people who actually have the same experience because that’s how you build understanding.’
This new research is led by Peer Researchers from ATLEU and Voice of Domestic Workers, who all have lived experience of trafficking, modern slavery or labour exploitation and migration, and authored by Professor Sundari Anitha from the University of Sheffield.
Other key findings on the drivers of survivor exclusion in the sector include:
Poverty: Survivors may not be able to afford to travel long distances to access employment or volunteering opportunities
Precarity: The daily pressures of navigating complex and often hostile trafficking identification, asylum and immigration systems, unstable housing, and family separation significantly limit survivors’ capacity to apply for training and employment opportunities
Language: Many survivors have limited English skills, while their ability to speak other languages is often disregarded.
Marginalisation: Long periods in limbo in the trafficking identification and support system (NRM), denies survivors the chance to work or study.
ATLEU Changemakers:
‘Imagine being told to wait, not for a week or a month, but for years, with no clear answers, no timeline, and no permission to rebuild your life. That’s the harsh reality faced by thousands of us stuck in the backlog of the UK trafficking and immigration systems. We are human beings. We are parents, students and professionals, left in limbo because of extreme delays in decision-making.’
Victoria Marks, Director, ATLEU:
‘People with lived experience of trafficking and slavery have a vital role to play in improving the systems and outcomes for their peers. The barriers highlighted by this report require a radical overhaul of UK systems. Our recommendations set out the changes that need to be made to law and policy, funder, sector and organisational practice.’
Marissa Begonia, Director Voice of Domestic Workers:
‘For survivors trying to rebuild their lives after exploitation, having the support of people who have gone through similar experiences can be life changing. For those providing this support, it’s a chance to give back and to prevent others from suffering the same injustices.’
Untapping a power: Why employing survivors matters. Summary report
Untapping a power: Why employing survivors matters. Full report