Two hundred staff have been recruited by the Home Office to clear a backlog of 23,300 modern slavery cases.
Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, said the government was planning to finalise cases within two years to end uncertainty for those who claim to be victims of modern slavery.
“For too long, modern slavery survivors and the harrowing experiences they have lived through have not been given the attention and support they deserve,” Phillips said.
“This is going to change. The actions I have announced today are a first step towards putting survivors first, eradicating the backlog of modern slavery cases to give victims the clarity and peace of mind they need to move on with their lives.”
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Speaking at a meeting with survivors of modern slavery in south-east London this week, Phillips accused the previous government of “not caring” enough about modern slavery and of having allowed the backlog of cases to build up.
Earlier this week, a report by a committee of House of Lords peers, Modern Slavery Act 2015: Becoming World Leading Again, found that the effect of immigration acts passed by the last government had deliberately restricted the support to slavery victims that had been offered by the groundbreaking legislation.
The committee found that in the care sector alone, “relaxed visa rules and weak regulation” had seen the number of reported victims increase by 400% since the sector was added to the (now defunct) Shortage Occupation List, according to the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority.
The Nationality and Borders Act, the Illegal Migration Act and the Safety of Rwanda Act were among legislation passed by the previous government that benefited traffickers it was claimed.
The committee recommended that ministers should recognise the difference between those who willingly come to the UK as migrants and those forced to come as modern-day slaves. “Legislative changes that reduce protection for modern slavery victims should be reversed, or left uncommenced, and safeguarding must be prioritised,” the peers concluded.
Sectors including agriculture, construction, sex work and care are the most open to modern-day slavery. It is the role of the National Referral Mechanism to confirm the status of those who have been trafficked into slavery and then to provide support.
Baroness O’Grady, chair of the House of Lords Modern Slavery Act 2015 Committee, said: “The prosecution rate for modern slavery is only 1.8%. Investigations and prosecutions can be complex, but there are known ways of improving their success.
“We urge our new government to prioritise protecting modern slavery victims and prosecuting the villains.
“Ministers should introduce legislation focused on prevention, including wider use of Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders and Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders, stronger workers’ rights which reduce opportunities for extreme exploitation, and by ensuring that immigration legislation does not punish victims.
She added: “The promised Fair Pay Agreement in the care sector offers a great opportunity to get to grips with low pay, little worker voice and insecure employment, which are the conditions in which modern slavery thrives.”
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