Key Takeaways
- Asylum seekers are not widely abusing the modern slavery system to stay in the country
- Successive home secretaries have blamed the system for stopping them from deporting more people, but a new report finds limited evidence of abuse
- The current home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, plans to change modern slavery rules, but the report suggests this may have limited success in reducing asylum claimants
- A new system focused on earlier detection of modern slavery could help eliminate limited abuse
- The majority of modern slavery referrals come from public bodies, and 90% of those referred are assessed to have reasonable grounds for being classified as victims
Introduction to the Report
The report from Bright Blue, a centre-right thinktank, has found that asylum seekers are not abusing the modern slavery system in a widespread manner. This contradicts statements from successive home secretaries, who have blamed the system for stopping them from deporting more people. The report’s findings suggest that promises by the current home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, to change modern slavery rules will have limited success in reducing the number of asylum claimants. The authors of the report do, however, suggest a new system focused on earlier detection of modern slavery as a way to eliminate the limited amount of abuse that does occur.
The Modern Slavery System
The modern-day slavery rules were introduced in England and Wales in 2015 by then-home secretary Theresa May. The rules established a formal mechanism to assess potential victims of slavery and human trafficking. Since then, the number of people referred to the system has climbed steeply, from just over 3,000 in 2015 to more than 19,000 last year. Recent home secretaries have blamed the asylum system for the rise, accusing claimants of seeking to be classified as victims of modern-day slavery to avoid being deported. However, the report from Bright Blue suggests that this is not the case, and that the majority of referrals come from public bodies such as Border Force, police authorities, local authorities, and the Home Office itself.
Abuse of the System
The report found that 90% of those referred to the modern slavery system were assessed to have reasonable grounds for being classified as victims, suggesting that the vast majority of cases were not vexatious. Additionally, the majority of those found to have been subjected to modern-day slavery were not granted leave to remain in the UK, but rather received compensation and temporary permission to stay. The report’s authors suggest that the government should train statutory first-responder organisations such as the Home Office and Border Force to detect signs of trafficking and slavery more quickly. Once that is done, they say ministers could ban those in detention – who will have already been assessed by those organisations – from being referred at all.
Government Response
A Home Office spokesperson said that modern slavery referrals are rising, and that the home secretary announced reforms to identify vulnerable people and stop misuse. The spokesperson stated that the reforms will fundamentally change the approach to illegal migration, making Britain a less attractive destination for illegal migrants and harder for people to block their removal from the country. However, the report from Bright Blue suggests that these reforms may not have the desired impact on asylum numbers. The report’s authors argue that the focus should be on earlier detection of modern slavery, rather than changing the rules to reduce asylum claimants.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the report from Bright Blue suggests that asylum seekers are not widely abusing the modern slavery system. The report’s findings contradict statements from successive home secretaries, who have blamed the system for stopping them from deporting more people. The authors of the report suggest a new system focused on earlier detection of modern slavery as a way to eliminate the limited amount of abuse that does occur. The government’s plans to change modern slavery rules may not have the desired impact on asylum numbers, and the focus should be on training statutory first-responder organisations to detect signs of trafficking and slavery more quickly. By doing so, the government can ensure that vulnerable people are protected and that the modern slavery system is not abused.
