Trafficking Compensation Action Group launches

Compensation for victims of trafficking and modern slavery is crucial to helping them to rebuild their lives. Most survivors are destitute after escaping their traffickers, having been paid little or nothing, often for years. Receiving compensation provides the financial security to reduce their vulnerability to further exploitation.

While legal aid is, on the face of it, available to survivors, the way in which it is administered, and the lengthy delays in granting legal aid, means that only a small number of survivors actually receive compensation. The lack of a civil remedy for trafficking and modern slavery also makes it harder for survivors to get compensation.

The Trafficking Compensation Action Group (TCAG) aims to bring together practitioners who conduct trafficking and modern slavery compensation claims, in order to share best practice, improve access to justice and provide each other with advice and support.

Led by ATLEU, the group launches this week, at a special event hosted by 7 Bedford Row and open to anyone helping survivors with trafficking and modern slavery compensation claims.

Jamila Duncan-Bosu, Solicitor, ATLEU:

‘Compensation is vital to promoting recovery, punishing perpetrators and preventing trafficking, yet accessing legal advice and assistance is extremely difficult. Horrifyingly, some of our own clients have died, still waiting for their claims to be processed. We want the TCAG to support more advisors in this work and to improve the help available to survivors.’

Hosted by 7BR Chambers, whose barristers are regularly instructed in compensation matters brought by survivors of trafficking, the group will meet quarterly.

The launch of TCAG is particularly timely in view of the government’s increased hostility to survivors of trafficking and modern slavery. The landscape for survivors, both in being identified as a victim and being able to reflect and recover from their experiences, is poor. In essence, the current approach gives licence to those who want to exploit others for their own financial gain.

ATLEU wants to ensure that survivors of trafficking can seek compensation for their treatment and have access to quality legal advice in order to do so.

For more information or to join the group visit our TCAG page.