Victims of trafficking still face a fight for compensation

Little has changed for victims seeking justice since the introduction of the Modern Slavery Act, according to new research.

The study from the charity, Focus on Labour exploitation (FLEX) explores how easily victims of human trafficking and other forms of modern slavery can access compensation, one year on from the enactment of the Modern Slavery Act. The paper also contained examples of two of ATLEU's recent cases.

The findings of this research indicate that victims still face significant legal and practical barriers to obtaining compensation for the abuses committed against them. We therefore, fully support FLEX's call for a comprehensive review of trafficking victims’ access to compensation in the UK. 

In particular, FLEX recommends the development of specific avenues to compensation for victims of human trafficking and modern slavery, to address to the complex nature of these crimes and allow victims to access to compensation more quickly and easily. The anti trafficking sector is forming a broad coalition to help ensure that victims of trafficking receive their right to bring their traffickers to justice.

The working paper, Access to Compensation for Victims of Human Trafficking, is available on the FLEX website.