Aisha Tukur
A backlog of thousands of modern slavery cases could be “eliminated” within two years, the government has said.
Latest figures show more than 23,000 suspected victims, including children, are still waiting for a decision from the Home Office regarding their status, including a woman at a safehouse in Sussex and a man paid £10 a day.
Some have already spent up to four years in a safe house, according to the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, who welcomed the ambitious plans but called for more prosecutions.
Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips MP announced on Friday that she would recruit 200 extra staff to “eliminate” the backlog, adding the issue was one of her “top priorities”.
The average wait for a conclusive decision is more than 500 days, according to government figures.
In 2023, there was a record high of 16,996 potential victim referrals to the National Referral Mechanism across England and Wales.
Modern slavery is the illegal exploitation of people for personal or commercial gain where victims are forced into work for little or no pay, including sex work and criminal activity.
Last year a quarter of all referrals were people from the UK, closely followed by Albanians and third were Vietnamese.
The minister wouldn’t confirm how much the recruitment will cost, but said the money has been reallocated from existing budgets including the former Conservative government’s scrapped Rwanda plan.
The new employees are expected to join the 650 existing Home Office staff processing cases in “early 2025”.
In an interview with the BBC, safeguarding minister Phillips has pledged to reform the modern slavery system and increase the number of prosecutions.
“This government will use every lever at its disposal to support them [victims] while we pursue those who callously profit from their trauma and misery,” she said.
