2025 marked the fourteenth year The Salvation Army has worked with partners across the country to support victims of modern slavery. In that time, together we have helped over 24,000 victims of modern slavery and human trafficking. In recent years, we have seen successive UK immigration legislation pass through Parliament, which has made it harder for victims to access to the vital protection and support they need to recover from exploitation.
The new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, will remove many of the harmful modern slavery measures in recent UK immigration laws that, if enforced, would exclude many victims who arrive or are trafficked into the UK by irregular routes from accessing support.
However, we are disappointed that the Bill has kept one of the measures that could disqualify victims from the support system if they have received a criminal offence or been detained. Many of the individuals we support at The Salvation Army are victims of criminal exploitation, and have suffered at the hands of their traffickers, forced to commit crimes under duress. These victims need our support and must not be turned away.
This exclusion of any victims of trafficking and modern slavery from support must end. We need laws that ensure all victims are safeguarded. If victims are denied support we risk leaving them without a safe alternative and returning to their traffickers.
Will you join us and call for this harmful provision to be repealed as part of the Bill?
Take action now and use your voice, write to your MP today.
