February 2025
The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner (‘IASC’) has released her Strategic Plan for 2024-2026. It builds upon the larger goal of “ending forced labour, modern slavery, and human trafficking by 2023”, through three main objectives, summarised as: prevent, protect, prosecute.
The first objective focus’ on “Preventing modern slavery and re-victimisation”. The strategy puts an emphasis on the role of safe accommodation, tackling demand, and raising public awareness of modern slavery as preventative measures to exploitation. In doing so, the IASC commits to working with stakeholders including charities, policymakers, and the private sector to “make prevention everyone’s business”.
The second objective seeks to increase measures which aim to protect victims, improving identification and victim support via the National Referral Mechanism (‘NRM’). This objective highlights the need for first responders to receive “trauma-informed, victim-centric training.” The IASC will also push for such training to be received by organisations such as the NHS and HM Prison and Probation Service, and will call for a review of the NRM’s decision making process ensuring tailored support to the individual’s needs. The plan takes note of the limited capacity of expert legal representation in matters of modern slavery, in part due to the complexity of the legal aid’s funding approach and practices being unwilling to take on such cases.
The third and final objective the plan gives focus to is prosecuting offenders and supporting victims through the criminal justice system. The main strategy noted in relation to prosecution is the increase of training opportunities to law enforcement regarding certain legislation related to the prosecution of perpetrators. Focus is given to the role played by the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Unit in offering training on modern slavery and human trafficking. It is further noted that without the voluntary engagement of the modern slavery victims, and their trust in the criminal justice system, prosecution will remain challenging. The IASC therefore states supporting the needs of victims as one of it’s main goals.
Southwell & Partners specialises in advice on Modern Slavery law and representing victims of modern slavery. Should you require any advice in relation to the same please get in touch with the firm.
