The number of potential victims of modern slavery referred to the system reached a record level last year, with both women and children reaching record highs.
Some 17,004 potential victims of modern slavery – including any form of human trafficking, slavery, servitude or forced labor – were referred to the Home Office in 2023, a slight increase from 16,921 in 2022.
It is the highest annual number since the start of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) in 2009.
To access support and receive recognition of their circumstances in Britain, victims of slavery and human trafficking must be assessed under the NRM.
Potential victims of modern slavery in Britain who come to the attention of authorized first response organizations – such as police, local authorities and Border Force – are referred to the NRM.
Women accounted for 24% of all referrals, with a total of 4,088 – the highest number ever recorded.
Children accounted for more than four in ten referrals, with a total of 7,432, which was also the highest number ever.
A quarter of those referred to the NRM were British (4,299), meaning this was the most common nationality for referrals.
The Home Office said this was the same rate as in 2022, but the number of British nationals referred in 2023 was the highest for this nationality since the NRM began.
The second most mentioned nationality was Albanian (24%; 4,052) and the third was Vietnamese (6%; 991).
Most British nationals were potential child victims (78%; 3,350), the Home Office said, adding that most Albanian nationals were potential adult victims (78%; 3,147).
Of Vietnamese nationals, 61% (601) were potential adult victims and 30% (302) were potential child victims.
Most referrals (8,242) to the NRM last year came from government agencies, the Home Office said.
Of this, almost two-thirds came from UK Visas and Immigration (5,218) and a third from Home Office Immigration Enforcement (2,757).
Police forces and regional organized crime units (ROCUs) accounted for just under a quarter (3,933) of NRM referrals last year, which was the same percentage as the year before.
Local authorities were responsible for 23% (3,944) of referrals, mainly to potential child victims, the Home Office said.
The average waiting time from referral to obtaining an initial decision, known as a reasonable grounds decision, was 23 days, compared to six days in the previous year.
The Home Office said this was likely due to the change in guidance introduced from January 2023, meaning that in most cases authorities had to take “additional action to request information demonstrating objective factors to determine a to make a decision.”
Last year also saw the highest annual number of decisive land decisions (9,825), which the department said follows a trend since early 2021 due to the recruitment of more decision makers and “significant productivity and efficiency efforts”.
The number of suspected victims who chose not to be referred to the system also reached the highest level since reporting requirements came into force in 2015.
Last year, the Home Office said it had received 4,929 reports from adult potential victims through the mandatory reporting process, up from 4,580 in 2022.
The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, said the “rise in reporting of exploitation of women and girls, and of children and young people, is deeply worrying”.
She said tackling modern slavery and human trafficking “must be a priority for the government”.
Ms Lyons added: “More must be done to prevent vulnerable people from being exploited, victim support and care must be improved to promote the recovery of every individual, and crucially we must do more to stop the criminals behind to tackle these heinous crimes.”
Making her first appearance in her new role before the Home Affairs Committee last month, Ms Lyons said modern slavery and human trafficking is “no longer the priority it was” for the Home Office as the focus has shifted to tackling illegal migration.
Victoria Tecca, of the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre, said the statistics overall “show the harsh reality of modern slavery today: that thousands of people are trapped in situations they cannot escape, exploited are confronted with threats, violence and intimidation in harsh circumstances.”
She said it is “extremely worrying” to see record numbers of children in the statistics and that the fact that British nationals are the most common is a “stark reminder that modern slavery can affect people from any country”.
She said more evidence is needed about why more people are choosing not to be included in the system, but noted that the changes “have taken place against the backdrop of recent immigration legislation designed to deny support to survivors of the modern slavery that have entered the system. Britain irregularly and remove them from Britain”.
She added: “There are indications that the new legislation could have a major impact on the willingness of some survivors to come forward and be formally identified or support criminal charges, thus strengthening the hand of traffickers.”
Maya Esslemont, director of After Exploitation, which maps modern slavery in Britain, said: “We remain deeply concerned that action is still not being taken to tackle the root causes of modern slavery, while the number of survivors is growing. ”
She added that it is “critical that the government addresses the gap between survivors who are recognized by first responders and those who ultimately receive support that meets their needs.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are committed to tackling all forms of modern slavery, including for individuals in Britain and children. That’s why we’re removing protections for criminals and those who make false claims.
“Decision makers take into account all available evidence to determine whether a case should be referred to the system. This ensures that victims quickly get the support they need to rebuild their lives, while protecting the system from those who try to abuse it.”