Policy & Influencing
‘I want to encourage us all today to have hope.’
Lord McColl, who helped introduce the Modern Slavery Act
ATLEU is strongly placed to provide policy leadership in the anti-trafficking sector, as our direct work with survivors puts us in a unique position to understand the real world implications of legislative and policy changes.
As leaders in this field, we are working to build coalitions across the sector to push for changes to law, policy and practice so that all survivors can access support, rights, and justice.
We believe that responses to trafficking and modern slavery must be evidenced based and informed by people with lived experience in order to achieve lasting positive change.
Our four main areas of policy work are:
Access to safety
The legal and policy framework on trafficking and modern slavery has regressed dramatically in recent years, accompanied by hostile political rhetoric towards survivors.
The Nationality and Borders Act (2022) created a significantly more complex and hostile system that is preventing many survivors from accessing identification and support.
Survivors of trafficking and modern slavery have the right to identification, safety, support, secure status, justice and remedy.
We are working to change systems and policies in order to make this a reality for all survivors.
We joined over 90 civil society organisations condemning
the Safety of Rwanda Bill ➔ as contrary to the rule of law and our obligations to protect survivors of trafficking.
Access to legal advice
Read our report, It has destroyed me ➔, which exposes how a legal advice system on the brink is failing survivors of modern slavery.
There is a legal advice crisis for survivors of trafficking and modern slavery, large numbers of whom are not able to access timely and specialist legal advice.
Our 2022 research found that 90% of support workers had struggled to find a legal aid immigration lawyer, with long delays reported. We believe the problem has worsened since then.
The consequences are devastating, particularly at a time of regressing law and policy: destitution, homelessness, mental health problems, missed case deadlines, detention, removal and re-trafficking.
We are calling for changes to legal aid funding to end this legal advice crisis.
Access to compensation
Compensation is crucial; for recovery and sustainable freedom for survivors and to punish and deter traffickers. Yet, the number of survivors who are able to obtain compensation, either from their trafficker or the state, is woeful.
There is no civil remedy for trafficking and modern slavery, and recovering compensation from a trafficker is challenging, costly and protracted. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICS) is not fit for purpose.
Compensation is the most challenging area for survivors to access information and legal advice on, with the complexity and funding deficiencies deterring providers.
We are working to change law and policy so that survivors are compensated for the crimes committed against them.
Read our submission to the Ministry of Justice ➔
on how the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme continues to fail survivors of trafficking.
Access to safe migration
We have brought a legal challenge against the UK government ➔ arguing that it has failed to put in place effective steps to protect workers from being subjected to modern slavery.
Restrictive, tied and temporary visa schemes in the UK are driving exploitation, trafficking and debt bondage of migrant workers, and denying their ability to enforce employment rights and remedy.
Despite the known risks and substantial published evidence of abuse and exploitation of workers on visas including the seasonal agricultural worker visa and the care worker visa, yet the use of such visas has increased in recent years in response to labour shortages.
We are campaigning with others so that migrant workers can access rights and remedy when abuse and exploitation occurs, and for an end to policies which drive exploitation.