We do not agree that a Bill of Rights should replace the Human Rights Act and do not support any of the proposals set out in the government’s consultation document.

If Clause 62 of the Nationality and Borders Bill is allowed to pass in its current form it will have devastating consequences for those who have been subjected to and survived modern slavery. It will also further undermine the UK’s efforts to identify and prosecute the criminals who perpetrate this appalling crime. For a government that genuinely wishes to tackle this crime “it does not make any sense at all” (Lord Dubs).

Your MP will soon be asked to vote on the Nationality and Borders Bill and we need you to write to them asking them to support our amendments. Many of the issues faced by survivors of trafficking are little understood. To encourage the government to change its mind we need you to engage with your MP so they know this is a priority.

ATLEU launched their new bespoke training programme, ATLAW this week. The programme is designed specifically for immigration and public law advisers who work under a legal aid contract and are committed to assisting survivors of trafficking and slavery.

After years of litigation and research, ATLEU and partners have made the case for the family worker exemption to be removed. This has led to the important recommendation from the Low Pay Commission today that it is not fit for purpose.

In a judgment handed down on Friday 9 July 2021, the Supreme Court confirmed that refusing awards of compensation, under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICS), to applicants with unspent criminal convictions was lawful. The Appellants in this matter did not contend that their criminal convictions arose from their having been trafficked. The convictions occurred before their trafficking and subsequent exploitation. As such, the Supreme Court did not go on to determine the position where a victim asserts that they were compelled to commit a crime but has been unable to use the non-punishment provisions.

At the age of just 14, Rebecca was groomed, physically assaulted and raped, then forced to sell drugs by organised crime groups. Although she was identified as a potential victim of trafficking, Rebecca was forced to report to the Home Office throughout lockdown. She contracted Covid in December, quickly followed by her father and sister. Her sister was heavily pregnant and had to be put into an induced coma while her baby was delivered prematurely. She was unconscious for almost three weeks as her baby began life in intensive care. Rebecca is still required to report each week.

A new report released today by the Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit, reveals how reporting in person directly threatens survivors’ physical safety and sense of security.

Ileara was born in Nigeria. She was approached by someone who promised they could find her work in the UK as a hairdresser. On arriving, she was taken to a flat and told she would have to work as a prostitute to repay the debt she owed them for bringing her here. The traffickers made threats to kill members of her family back home. She was forced into sex work in the UK for nearly a year before escaping.

Before coming to ATLEU, the Home Office decided she was not a victim of trafficking.

Modern slavery has no place in the New Plan for Immigration and risks creating policy which overlooks the needs of survivors who are first and foremost, victims of crime. Based on the limited information the government has provided, we fear that these proposals, if implemented, will put survivors at a higher risk of detention, exploitation and re-trafficking.

We are calling for all potential survivors of slavery or trafficking who are in the National Referral Mechanism to have access to work. This access must not be restricted and should be granted automatically once a person is identified as a potential victim of trafficking.

Three ATLEU clients have been awarded significant damages in a compensation claim against their former employer, Hick Lane Bedding Ltd. In a judgment handed down on Tuesday 9 March 2021, the High Court Queen’s Bench Division awarded damages in excess of £700,000 for what it described as an ‘egregious example of modern slavery’.

ATLEU has successfully challenged the family worker exemption contained within the National Minimum Wage Regulations. Under the exemption, live-in domestic workers were not entitled to receive the national minimum wage if treated as a member of the family’.