289 victims of modern slavery supported in North West

The North West recorded 289 people rescued and supported by The Salvation Army and partners in the last year.

This marks a drop of 55 people compared to the prior year.

The Salvation Army warns this decrease indicates that criminals are successfully keeping people trapped, while the abhorrent trade continues in the UK.

The data was released to mark Anti-Slavery Day and shows a 22 percent reduction in the overall number of people accessing the modern slavery support services offered by The Salvation Army on behalf of the government.

This is the first time in thirteen years that a decrease has been reported.

A record number of victims are declining the opportunity to be referred to specialist support through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the government system for identifying and supporting victims.

The Salvation Army attributes the downturn to recent legislative changes that conflate modern slavery with immigration, which has made victims fearful of contact with authorities.

Stricter eligibility criteria have also led to fewer people being recognised as victims of modern slavery, thereby denying them access to essential support.

Major Kathy Betteridge, director of anti-trafficking and modern slavery at The Salvation Army, said: "Modern slavery remains a low-risk, high-reward operation for criminals.

"Two key pieces of legislation designed to tackle immigration could be having the unintended consequence of driving modern slavery further underground - the Nationality and Borders Act (2022) and the Illegal Migration Act (2023) which has not been implemented yet due to the change in Government."

The Salvation Army estimates that for every one survivor of modern slavery given the opportunity to receive support, at least 13 more remain trapped and exploited.

Last year, The Salvation Army helped 2,741 potential victims of modern slavery, 792 fewer than the previous year.

Of those who entered The Salvation Army’s support services last year, 64 percent experienced forced labour, 19 percent were sexually exploited, 10 percent faced criminal exploitation, and 6 percent endured domestic servitude.

Major Betteridge said: "Modern slavery is not an immigration issue; it is a human rights issue.

"Indeed British people are the second most common group accessing our help.

"We need to encourage every person exploited in slavery to break free by treating them as genuine victims of crime."

The Salvation Army’s confidential 24/7 referral helpline at 0800 808 3733 is available for anyone who suspects they or someone they have met may be a victim of modern slavery and needs help.