Human Trafficking

Home Affairs Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 7 Feb 2023 Closed: 24 May 2024 Parliament page
In this inquiry, launched in February 2023, the Home Affairs Committee is assessing the scale of human trafficking in the UK and the forms it takes. It also investigates whether Government policy, legislation and the criminal justice system can be improved to prevent human trafficking, prosecute perpetrators and protect victims. … Read more
37 Recommendations
66 Conclusions
1 Report
6 Oral sessions
3 Letters
6 Events
Activity timeline 17 events
15 May
2024
Correspondence
13 Mar
2024
Correspondence
22 Feb
2024
Report published
8 Dec
2023
Report published
19 Jul
2023
Oral evidence
19 Jul
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
12 Jul
2023
Correspondence
5 Jul
2023
Oral evidence
5 Jul
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster
21 Jun
2023
Oral evidence
21 Jun
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
7 Jun
2023
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 6 sessions
19 Jul 2023
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Andrew Patrick · Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office Joanna West · Home Office Matthew Bligh · Home Office Miss Sarah Dines · Home Office Rebecca Wyse · Home Office
5 Jul 2023
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Assistant Chief Constable Jim Pearce · National Police Chiefs' Council Caroline Haughey OBE KC · Furnival Chambers Lynette Woodrow · Crown Prosecution Service Rob Jones CBE · National Crime Agency Stuart Peall · Lancashire Police
21 Jun 2023
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Allyson Davies · Barnard's National Counter Trafficking Service Danny Bayraktarova · Wilson Solicitors LLP Elaine Bass · Home Office James Fookes · Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group (ATMG) Laura Durán · ECPAT UK Major Kathy Betteridge · Salvation Army Siobhan Jolliffe · Home Office
7 Jun 2023
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Dr. Ben Brewster · Rights Lab, University of Nottingham Neelam Patankar · Digital Ventures Professor Teela Sanders · University of Leicester Rhoda Grant · Scottish Parliament
10 May 2023
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Elysia McCaffrey · Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) Kate Roberts · Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX) Ruth Breslin · The Sexual Exploitation Research Programme (SERP) Sylvia Walby · Royal Holloway, University of London Tatiana Gren-Jardan · Joint Modern Slavery Policy Unit Justice and Care and Centre for Social Justice
19 Apr 2023
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Professor Dame Sara Thornton · The Rights Lab, University of Nottingham The Rt Hon. the Baroness Butler-Sloss GBE
Title HC No. Published Items Response
First Report - Human trafficking HC 124 8 Dec 2023 103 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
15 results
Clear
1 Conclusion Rejected
First Report - Human trafficking
Government prioritises irregular migration at the expense of tackling human trafficking.
We are deeply concerned that the Government is prioritising irregular migration issues at the expense of tackling human trafficking. The Government’s de- prioritisation of human trafficking is not reflective of the scale of the threat it poses or the gravity … Read more
Government Response
The government rejects the committee's premise of de-prioritising human trafficking, stating it is right to tackle both modern slavery and migration together. They highlight their commitment to identifying and supporting victims, noting that over 10,000 people received support through the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract in the year ending June 2023.
Home Office
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2 Conclusion Rejected
First Report - Human trafficking
Prevent Home Office from conflating immigration with human trafficking and modern slavery.
The Home Office must not conflate immigration with human trafficking and modern slavery at the expense of protection of victims of human trafficking.
Government Response
The government rejects the recommendation, stating it is right for the Home Office to tackle modern slavery and migration together due to their close links and that Ministers work to balance border security with victim support.
Home Office
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4 Conclusion Rejected
First Report - Human trafficking
Treat human trafficking primarily as a protection issue, not an irregular migration concern.
The Home Office and respective public authorities should treat human trafficking as primarily a protection issue and not an irregular migration concern. Future legislation must take account of the legitimate protection and support needs of all victims including UK nationals. Read more
Government Response
The government rejects the recommendation, stating it is right to tackle modern slavery and migration together and that Ministers work to balance secure borders with providing victims appropriate support.
Home Office
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6 Recommendation Rejected
First Report - Human trafficking
Reinstate full modern slavery policy remit to Safeguarding Minister, removing immigration oversight.
In accordance with the recommendation made by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in its 2023 UK country visit report, we urge the Government to withdraw the issue of modern slavery and human trafficking from the Minister … Read more
Government Response
The government rejects the recommendation to separate ministerial responsibilities, stating it is right for the Home Office to tackle modern slavery and migration together and that Ministers balance border security with victim support.
Home Office
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13 Conclusion Rejected
First Report - Human trafficking
Strengthen Section 53A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and increase conviction penalties.
Section 53A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 should be strengthened and penalties upon conviction increased to ensure comparability with other sexual and trafficking offences and to increase the deterrent value.
Government Response
The government implicitly rejects strengthening Section 53A or increasing penalties, explaining that police prioritise investigating more serious modern slavery crimes due to their higher penalties.
Home Office
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22 Recommendation Rejected
First Report - Human trafficking
Allocate funding to increase Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority inspectors for proactive enforcement.
The Government should allocate funding for an increase in the number of Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority inspectors, so that more proactive monitoring and enforcement of labour laws can be implemented by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority. Read more
Government Response
The government rejects the recommendation, stating it would not be appropriate for them to accept it because the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner's role is independent.
Home Office
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23 Conclusion Rejected
First Report - Human trafficking
Law enforcement training and victim support for criminal exploitation remain insufficient.
Criminal exploitation is the most reported form of human trafficking and modern slavery, but there is insufficient training for law enforcement personnel in victim recognition and inadequate support for victims of criminal exploitation.
Government Response
The government states it is not appropriate to accept this item because the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner's role is independent of Government.
Home Office
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24 Recommendation Rejected
First Report - Human trafficking
Review Modern Slavery statutory guidance on criminal exploitation every six months for emerging intelligence.
The Home Office should review its Modern Slavery statutory guidance on criminal exploitation every six months to be inclusive of emerging intelligence for this form of trafficking. (Paragraph 82) 74 Human trafficking
Government Response
The government explicitly rejects the recommendation to review Modern Slavery statutory guidance every six months, stating that existing guidance and legislation already adequately address child criminal exploitation.
Home Office
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39 Recommendation Rejected
First Report - Human trafficking
Direct Government to ensure every police force has a dedicated modern slavery specialist team.
The Government should direct that every police force is provided with a dedicated modern slavery and human trafficking specialist team.
Government Response
The government states that it keeps legislation under review but has not seen unequivocal evidence that any particular approach would improve tackling harm and exploitation related to prostitution and sex work, effectively declining to commit to directing specialist modern slavery teams for every police force.
Home Office
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73 Recommendation Rejected
First Report - Human trafficking
Conduct an independent review of modern slavery provisions' implementation in Nationality and Borders Act 2022.
We recommend an independent review of the implementation of modern slavery provisions (Part 5) in the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, conducted by a suitably qualified and independent professional, to start in January 2024.
Government Response
The government rejects the recommendation for an independent review of the modern slavery provisions in the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, stating that the Home Office is conducting its own internal monitoring and evaluation of the relevant Acts.
Home Office
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74 Recommendation Rejected
First Report - Human trafficking
Pause requirement for third-party evidence at Reasonable Grounds stage until independent review concludes.
The Government should pause any requirement to provide third party evidence at the Reasonable Grounds stage until such an independent review has been concluded and has determined that the new requirements are not unduly burdensome.
Government Response
The government rejected pausing the requirement for third-party evidence, stating they are internally monitoring and evaluating the new guidance, which they believe is having its intended effect of making decisions more robust.
Home Office
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85 Recommendation Rejected
First Report - Human trafficking
Deliver 12 months' support for all human trafficking victims with positive Conclusive Grounds decision.
The Government should deliver on its commitment of 12 months’ support for all victims with a positive Conclusive Grounds decision by the end of 2024. (Paragraph 248) Human trafficking 81
Government Response
The government rejected delivering a blanket 12 months of support for all victims with a positive Conclusive Grounds decision, stating their existing needs-based approach through the Recovery Needs Assessment ensures appropriate support length and that a fixed period risks creating dependency.
Home Office
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92 Conclusion Rejected
First Report - Human trafficking
Change devolved NRM pilot eligibility to include all children, including age-disputed and older children.
The Home Office must change the criteria for eligibility to allow local authority pilot locations to make National Referral Mechanism decisions for all children in their care, including those who are age-disputed; and not exclude those who are within 100 … Read more
Government Response
The government rejected changing the pilot's eligibility criteria to include age-disputed children or those within 100 days of their 18th birthday, stating that expanding the scope would increase the risk of cases not being completed before the individual becomes an adult.
Home Office
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99 Conclusion Rejected
First Report - Human trafficking
Local authority safeguarding guidance fails to address external threats to children in care.
Local authority safeguarding guidance needs include the external threats that traffickers pose to children who may be in local authority care even after they have been removed from immediate harm.
Government Response
The government rejected the recommendation, stating that existing statutory guidance and recently published guidance already provide sufficient information and support for frontline professionals on child criminal exploitation.
Home Office
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102 Conclusion Rejected
First Report - Human trafficking
Consider every child missing from home or care as a potential victim of trafficking.
Every child who goes missing from home or care should be considered as a potential victim of trafficking, even if they are subsequently found safe.
Government Response
The government rejected the recommendation for a blanket National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referral for every missing child, arguing it would remove case-specific considerations, create undue pressure, and potentially lead to damaging negative outcomes.
Home Office
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Government Response AI assessment · 103 of 37 classified
Accepted 17
Accepted in Part 6
Acknowledged 12
Deferred 46
Not Addressed 7
Rejected 15
Total 37 recs + 66 conclusions
Correspondence 3 letters
15 May 2024 To committee Letter from the Home Secretary, regarding the Government’s Response to the Human Trafficking report, dated 2 May 2024
Parliament page
13 Mar 2024 To committee Letter from the Chair to the Home Secretary regarding the Government’s Response to the Human Trafficking inquiry, dated 7 March 2024
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12 Jul 2023 From committee Letter to the Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire on Adult Services Websites (ASWs), dated 5 July 2023
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