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Modern slavery strategy 'yet to result in coherent action', MPs find

Public Accounts Committee does not know 'how much money it spends tackling modern slavery or what success looks like'

Home Affairs Correspondent

Wednesday 02 May 2018 00:53 BST

Agriculture is one of the industries identified as a risk for modern slavery in the UK (National Crime Agency)

Modern slavery is not fully understood by the government and it has no idea if its crackdown is working, MPs have said, while warning that Brexit could worsen the situation.

The Public Accounts Committee concluded that “good intentions have yet to result in coherent action” against the crimes, with no measure of success for a nationwide strategy and inconsistency between regional police forces.

A report on work to reduce modern slavery found that the government has not calculated the number of modern slaves in Britain, after making an estimate of 10,000 to 13,000 in 2013, or how much money it has spent combating the issue.

More potential victims are being reported to the dedicated National Referral Mechanism than ever before, with Brits becoming the largest group of victims for the first time last year, but it does not record what happens to them next.

MPs found that the government was not gathering enough data to understand modern slavery or the demographics and circumstances of the victims and the perpetrators, making tackling it difficult.

They said officials have not set targets to judge success, meaning they cannot establish whether the strategy is working or how it should prioritise its actions

Meg Hiller, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “Victims of modern slavery can face unimaginable horrors but the government’s good intentions have yet to result in coherent action to help them.

“The government cannot hope to target resources in an effective manner until it properly understands the scale and nature of the challenge. This crime is complex and a piecemeal approach will not cut it.

Police warn modern slaves 'staffing nail bars across UK' as Vietnamese gang jailed in landmark case

“The government must get a grip on what works and what doesn’t – when things change, it must be sufficiently informed and agile to respond.”

Ms Hillier said long waits for officials to make decisions on whether people should be treated as victims of modern slavery was compounding their distress, while monitoring of support services is poor and there are “worrying variations” in the response of local police forces.

“Brexit may complicate the picture further and it is critical that government acts swiftly on the concerns set out in our report,” she added.

The Modern Slavery Strategy was introduced in 2014 to reduce the prevalence of practices including human trafficking, forced labour, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude.

Anyone can report potential victims to the National Referral Mechanism for their cases to be assessed, but the system is inefficient and leaves slaves waiting for too long to receive help, the Public Accounts Committee said.

Care has been contracted out to the Salvation Army for £90m until 2020, but there are no minimum standards, formal inspections or deadlines for when a decision should be made, with the current average standing at 134 days.

The committee warned that prevention work was being damaged by slow progress understanding the crime, which is evolving quickly with changing techniques and nationalities involved.

MPs attacked the government’s “hands-off approach” to how businesses comply with laws on transparency in supply chains, which were introduced in 2015, saying monitoring was being left to charities, investors and customers themselves.

They said the approach was “clearly not working” because only an estimated 30 per cent of businesses required by law to publish a commitment on the issue have done so.

There are also extreme variations between the number of modern slaves being reported by the 43 police forces in England and Wales, varying between more than 900 and fewer than 10 since the National Referral Mechanism started in 2009.

MPs said the figures suggested some forces were not treating the issue as seriously as others, with only 6 per cent of related crimes recorded in the year to March 2017 leading to charges and dedicated funding running out in a year’s time.

Modern Slavery in the UK

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1/13Modern Slavery in the UK

Modern Slavery in the UK

NCA has launched a touring photographic exhibition which aims to portray the signs of slavery and exploitation. Entitled ‘Invisible People’, the exhibition will tour the country as part of the National Crime Agency’s campaign to raise awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking.

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Child trafficking

Child trafficking for sexual exploitation Traffickers use grooming techniques to gain the trust of a child, family or community. The children are recruited, transported and then sold for sex, often returning to their homes immediately afterwards, only to be picked up by the same people again. This is happening here in the UK, to migrant and British-born children. Spot the signs of child trafficking: Often, children won’t be sure which country, city or town they’re in. They may be orphaned or living apart from their family, in unregulated private foster care, or in substandard accommodation. They may possess unaccounted-for money or goods or repeatedly have new, unexplained injuries.

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Agriculture

Some workers in the farming sector, harvesting grains or root vegetables, tending livestock or fruit picking, are being exploited every day in the UK. Victims of this crime in the agricultural sector are often Eastern European men and women, who were promised a job by traffickers, or they could be individuals on the fringes of society, homeless or destitute. Through threats, violence, coercion or forced drug and alcohol dependency, they’re enslaved, working for little or no money, living in squalid conditions having had their identity documents taken from them. Spot the signs of exploitative labour in agriculture: Agricultural slaves often have their wages paid into the same bank account, meaning an illegal gangmaster is likely collecting all their wages. Exploited agriculture workers often don’t have suitable protective equipment, working instead in cheap sports clothing and trainers, and don’t have a different change of clothes from day-to-day.

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Food processing

Polish or Slovakian men are brought to the UK with the offer of employment and, after arrival, gangmasters seize documents, opening multiple bank and utility accounts in their names – but refuse to handover access to the accounts or bank cards. Hours are long and the work is gruelling and dangerous. Workers are abused and are controlled by threats of harm to their families at home. Spot the signs: Those exploited wear inappropriate clothes and often no safety gear – despite working with dangerous and life-threatening equipment. They may often have untreated injuries and be refused medical attention, and will live and work in agricultural outhouses.

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Construction

Labour-intensive sectors like construction, where temporary and irregular work are common, are high-risk sectors for forced labour. With new homes, offices and buildings being constructed or upgraded in great quantity, labour exploitation is the second most common type of modern slavery, after sexual exploitation. Spot the signs of exploitative labour in construction: Exploited workers are often not provided with protective clothing or equipment, and may show signs of abuse or carry old untreated injuries. Slave workers are also likely to work extremely long work hours for six or seven days a week without any leave. Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: “I wanted this image to communicate that despite being forced to live, eat, wash and sleep – where they’re working, in cramped and unhygienic conditions, that there is a human instinct to domesticate. I wanted to show how there is still hope and dignity in the most squalid and difficult of circumstances.”

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Maritime

In the tough maritime industry young men, often Filipino or Indian, Eastern European or African, are promised a better life, but instead find themselves in a cycle of debt and exploitation. Unable to read, they are offered a job, given papers to sign and begin working on a trial-basis, only to be told they have failed and owe money, and have to work more to settle the debt. They may be forced to work for long hours in intense, hazardous and difficult conditions. Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: “In the 80s, Chris Killip published a series of images called In Flagrante, and these images were at the forefront of my mind while composing this shot. I wanted to show the utter desperation of these men - how passed their limit they are. The broken floats and the entire decaying environment around him, I saw as a metaphor for his existence.”

Rory Carnegie/National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Forced prostitution

Each year, women from across Eastern Europe and West Africa are lured to the UK by the dream of a better life. Whether by fake migration services or unscrupulous individuals who befriend and then betray them, women fall into a dark spiral of sexual exploitation and forced, unpaid prostitution, unable to escape. Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: “What I really wanted for this image, was to depict how women are used as commodities, the complete control slavery has over them – the helplessness of having to sit and wait for man after man, until no more men arrive. I wanted the image to show how lonely and eventually numbing that experience is, and for that ugliness to be contrasted against the bright blue of the wig – a fancy dress item that we would usually associate with a fun event – but here is used as a disguise, perhaps of her own identity to herself - to further emphasise how unjust the situation is.”

NCA

Modern Slavery in the UK

Cannabis farming

The cannabis industry hides a dark secret in the house next door. Gangs bring young boys to the UK from countries like Vietnam and deliver them to a house where, once in, they won’t be able to leave. Forced to tend cannabis plants that fill specially rigged houses, the boys are often locked in and forced to work, sleep and eat in one confined and dirty room. The chemicals used on the cannabis are poisonous, and often victims don’t know where they are or how to get help if they do escape. The eyes, ears and compassion of the local community are essential. Spot the signs: Aside from the strong and prolonged smell of cannabis, have you noticed a house that looks unusual? Are the windows covered or usual entry points blocked? Buildings might be over-heated – in very cold weather is the roof without frost, because the house is being kept warm to grow plants

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Agriculture

Some workers in the farming sector, harvesting grains or root vegetables, tending livestock or fruit picking, are being exploited every day in the UK. Victims of this crime in the agricultural sector are often Eastern European men and women, who were promised a job by traffickers, or they could be individuals on the fringes of society, homeless or destitute. Through threats, violence, coercion or forced drug and alcohol dependency, they’re enslaved, working for little or no money, living in squalid conditions having had their identity documents taken from them. Spot the signs of exploitative labour in agriculture: Agricultural slaves often have their wages paid into the same bank account, meaning an illegal gangmaster is likely collecting all their wages. Exploited agriculture workers often don’t have suitable protective equipment, working instead in cheap sports clothing and trainers, and don’t have a different change of clothes from day-to-day

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Forced prostitution

Spot the signs of forced prostitution: Victims of this type of crime might appear withdrawn or scared, avoid eye contact, and be untrusting. Poor English language skills could indicate exploitation because it suggests someone else must be arranging the work. A brothel is likely to be an average house on a normal looking street, but may have curtains which are usually closed and many different men coming and going frequently.

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Maritime

Spot the signs of exploitative labour in the maritime sector: Victims might appear withdrawn or frightened, often unable to answer questions directed at them or speak for themselves,. They might be afraid of authorities like police, immigration or the tax office, and may perceive themselves to be in debt to someone else. They may not have been given proper protective equipment so can suffer illness or injury. Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: “Throughout the series of images, I wanted to juxtapose the harshness of the lives of slaves against bright primary colours – colours we traditionally associate with happiness or a feeling of wellbeing – to provoke a reaction. The image, as rich as it is, communicates how completely uncomfortable this person is. I wanted to show how his body is not his own, and how he has no right to avoid hardship, avoid the ice, or wear better shoes, he is utterly controlled.”

Rory Carnegie/National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

Food processing

Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: “This image communicates utter exhaustion and dejection. We can see how dire his situation is. He has no protective gear on, and we can see the extreme tiredness that leads him to a place of anxiety and distraction, where he doesn’t care about whether he’s operating machinery safely, or putting himself at risk.”

National Crime Agency

Modern Slavery in the UK

The exhibition comprises a series of large, freestanding cubes displaying images capturing snapshots of life within different types of modern slavery - in agriculture, construction, maritime, cannabis farming and food processing, child trafficking for sexual exploitation and forced prostitution. Each image comes with written commentary describing what the viewer is seeing, and information about signs which may indicate someone is a victim.

National Crime Agency

The committee said the Home Office must work with groups including the National Crime Agency, Crown Prosecution Service and independent anti-slavery commissioner to urgently develop a set of practical steps tackling regional gaps.

It demanded “immediate action” to enforce rules on transparency in supply chains, potentially including publishing a list of firms who are not complying.

MPs called on the Home Office to ensure a reformed referral mechanism is in place by January next year, cut waiting times, bring in standards for victim care and a means of tracking the amount of public money spent.

The committee also said better understanding was needed to prevent modern slavery and work must take account of the potential impact of Brexit.

The Local Government Association said the National Referral Mechanism could not manage the number of cases, which has almost trebled since 2013, and backed calls for reforms.

The chair of its Safer and Stronger Communities Board, Simon Blackburn, said: “These reforms must be backed up with resources.

“Councils can play a key role in supporting trafficking victims, but we would like to see the government provide clarity over how local authorities are expected to respond and for these responsibilities to be properly funded.”

The Public Accounts Committee report came four months after a separate probe by the National Audit Office found the government’s bid to tackle modern slavery was ineffective, calling its strategy “unclear” and “inadequate”.

A previous warning came from HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in October, when the watchdog found police forces were failing to identify victims and leaving perpetrators free to continue to exploit them.

The UK is the first country in the world to have dedicated legislation in place to tackle modern slavery and there are more than 600 live modern slavery police operations underway.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Public Accounts Committee recognises that the UK is ahead of many countries in responding to modern slavery and the government’s Modern Slavery Taskforce will consider its recommendations carefully.

“We have recently announced reforms to the National Referral Mechanism to make sure it supports more victims at a quicker pace and we are taking action to eradicate modern slavery from the economy, including requiring large businesses to report on how they are tackling and preventing this crime in their supply chains.”

And last April, the Work and Pensions Committee found that “inexcusable” shortcomings in the UK’s modern slavery strategy were leaving victims reduced to destitution while their abusers escaped because they were not adequately supported to testify against them.

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