by The number of potential victims of modern slavery referred to the system reached an all-time high last year, with referrals for both women and children at an all-time high.
Some 17,004 potential victims of modern slavery – including any form of human trafficking, slavery, servitude or forced labor – were referred to the Home Office in 2023, a slight increase from 16,921 in 2022.
This is the highest annual number since the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) began in 2009.
In order to gain support and recognition for their circumstances in the UK, victims of slavery and human trafficking must be assessed under the NRM.
Potential victims of modern slavery in the UK who come to the attention of authorized first responder organizations – such as police, local authorities and the Border Force – are referred to the NRM.
24% of all referrals, that’s 4,088 in total – the highest number on record to date.
Children made up more than four out of 10 transmissions, a total of 7,432, also the highest number on record.
A quarter of those referred to the NRM (4,299) were of UK nationality, making it the most common nationality for referrals.
The Home Office said this was the same proportion as in 2022 but that the number of UK nationals referred in 2023 was the highest for this nationality since the NRM began.
Albanian was the second most common nationality referred to (24%; 4,052) and Vietnamese was third (6%; 991).
The majority of UK nationals were potential child victims (78%; 3,350), the Home Office said, adding that the majority of Albanian nationals were potential adult victims (78%; 3,147).
For Vietnamese nationals, 61% (601) were potential adult victims and 30% (302) were potential child victims.
The majority of referrals (8,242) to the NRM last year came from Government agencies, the Home Office said.
Of these, almost two-thirds came from UK Visas and Immigration (5,218) and a third from Home Office Immigration Enforcement (2,757).
Police forces and Regional Organized Crime Units (ROCUs) accounted for just under a quarter (3,933) of NRM referrals last year, which is the same proportion as the year before.
Local authorities accounted for 23% (3,944) of referrals, mainly to potential child victims, the Home Office said.
The average waiting time from being forwarded to the first decision, known as a reasonable grounds decision, was 23 days, up from six days the previous year.
The Home Office said this was likely due to the change in guidance that came in from January 2023 which meant that authorities had “additional actions in most cases to request information that shows objective factors to make a decision”.
Last year also saw the highest number of decisions made on conclusive grounds (9,825), which the Department said continues a trend from early 2021 due to the recruitment of more decision makers and “significant productivity and efficiency efforts”.
The number of suspected victims who chose not to be referred to the system also reached the highest level since the Duty to Notify requirement was introduced in 2015.
The Home Office said last year it received 4,929 reports of potential victims of aging through the Duty to Notify process, up from 4,580 in 2022.
The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, said the rise in reporting of exploitation among women and girls, and children and young people, was a matter of great concern.
She said tackling modern slavery and human trafficking needed to be a “Government priority”.
Ms Lyons added: “More must be done to prevent vulnerable people from being exploited, improve support and care for victims to help everyone recover, and crucially we must do more to confront the criminals behind these heinous crimes.”
Appearing before the Home Affairs Committee last month for the first time in his new role, Mr Lyons said modern slavery and human trafficking were “no longer a priority” for the Home Office, as the focus shifted on tackling illegal migration.
Victoria Tecca, from the Center for Policy and Evidence on Modern Slavery and Human Rights, said the statistics show “the harsh reality of modern slavery today: that thousands of people are trapped in situations they cannot escape as a result, they are exploited in harsh conditions, threats, violence and intimidation”.
She said it was “particularly worrying” to see the highest number of children in the statistics and the fact that UK nationals were the most common was a “stark reminder that modern slavery can affect people from any country”.
She said more evidence is needed as to why more people are choosing not to be referred to the system, but noted that the changes “have taken place in the context of recent immigration legislation designed to deny support to survivors of modern slavery who entered the country. UK irregularly and remove them from the UK”.
She added: “Evidence shows that the new legislation could have a major impact on the willingness of some survivors to come forward and formally identify them or support criminal prosecutions, which would strengthen the hand of traffickers.”
Maya Esslemont, director of After Exploitation which tracks modern slavery in the UK, said: “We remain deeply concerned that action is still not being taken to tackle the root causes of modern slavery, with the number of survivors size.”
She added that it is “vital that the Government addresses the gap between survivors identified by first responders and those who eventually go on to receive support that meets their needs.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “We are committed to tackling all forms of modern slavery, including individuals in the UK and children. That is why we are removing protections for criminals and those who make false claims.
“Decision makers consider all available evidence to determine whether a case should be referred to the system. This ensures that victims get the support they need promptly to rebuild their lives, while protecting the system from those who seek to abuse it.”
