The number of suspected modern slavery victims in the UK has surged to a record high of more than 10,000 – up 52 per cent in a year, new figures show.
Home Office data reveals 10,627 potential victims of trafficking were referred to the UK’s framework for identifying modern slavery abuses last year, compared with 6,993 in 2018.
The figure has been increasing year-on-year, but the increase is considerably more stark than the previous year when it rose by 36 per cent. The most common nationalities to be referred were British, Albanian and Vietnamese.
The majority of referrals – around 80 per cent – made in 2019 are still waiting for a decision to be made as to whether they are a confirmed victim, which has stoked concerns about a growing backlog in the system and the damaging impact this can have on survivors of trafficking.
Potential victims of modern slavery who come to the attention of authorised "first responder" organisations, which include local authorities, NGOs, police forces and specified government agencies, are referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).
Once referred to the NRM, the Single Competent Authority (SCA) within the Home Office is responsible for making a reasonable grounds decision on whether or not an individual could be a victim of modern slavery.
Adults who are given a positive reasonable grounds decision are entitled to 45 days of support – including accommodation, subsistence, legal aid and counselling – until a conclusive grounds decision on their case is made, while children are supported by local authorities.
A total of 8,429 people referred last year are awaiting a conclusive grounds decision, compared with 2,657 (38 per cent) of referrals made in 2018.
Experts and campaigners said the growing waiting period undermined the recovery process and left victims in limbo and at risk of falling back into the hands of their abusers.
Sara Thornton, the UK's Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, told The Independent she was "deeply concerned" that the system was unable to keep up with the growing number of referrals, and called for "radical reform" of the NRM.
“I meet many victims and survivors of modern slavery, some who are living in safe houses or asylum seeker accommodation and some of whom have been waiting two to three years for a decision from the Home Office about their future," Ms Thornton said.
"Every year we are identifying more victims of modern slavery, and every year they are waiting longer for their trafficking decisions. These are resilient and brave individuals, but I am deeply concerned that the system is not keeping pace with demand."
Kate Roberts, UK and Europe manager for Anti-Slavery International, said the high proportion of people waiting for a decision showed how many lives were being "kept on hold", as many victims are unable to work while in the NRM and instead left anxiously waiting to find out their fate.
"It is not right for people to go from having their life controlled by a trafficker to being kept in limbo by a system, particularly when a positive decision does not necessarily lead to a grant of leave or ongoing support to help them recover from their trauma," she added.
The new figures show that just over half of referrals were people who said they were exploited as adults – while 43 per cent (4,570) were those who said they were exploited as children.
Laura Duran, senior policy and research officer, at charity ECPAT UK, which supports child trafficking victims, said she was "very concerned" about the ongoing delays children face while waiting for the outcomes of decisions from the NRM – a system she said was said neither child-friendly nor delivered locally by professionals known to each child.
"In some cases, young people have reported waiting for over a year for a decision on their case, which also causes significant delays to their immigration decisions if they are also claiming asylum. This leaves many children facing extended periods of immigration limbo in which their lives are on hold and they're unable to recover from exploitation or plan for the future," she added.
"The government must ensure adequate resources are allocated to a system that works for children and that they receive robust decisions in a timely manner."
The Home Office has been approached for comment.
