Jess Phillips: ‘Labour should commit to ending modern slavery for good’

This general election is an opportunity for the Labour party to demonstrate much-needed leadership on an issue which strikes at the core of our values – tackling modern slavery.

For years now the Conservative Party has owned this policy area. I have been happy to work constructively with consecutive governments to advance efforts to protect survivors and hold traffickers to account. However, since the Modern Slavery Act in 2015 we have seen the government’s response to slavery deteriorate to the point where victims of trafficking now face being deported to Rwanda.

There needs to be a change and I believe it is time for the Labour Party to drive forward an effective and sustainable response to modern slavery. This goes to the heart of who we are as a party: protecting workers and vulnerable communities from exploitation and abuse; ensuring that criminals cannot act with impunity.

Ending modern slavery means tackling many issues

Modern slavery cannot be dealt with in isolation. Many of the issues we are campaigning on in this election have a significant impact on our ability to keep people safe from exploitation and prosecute traffickers: immigration, tackling crime on our streets, protecting workers, homelessness, child protection, inequality, climate change and global security.

A Labour government must adopt a holistic approach to preventing modern slavery by understanding the way in which it intersects with these and many other issues. What progress there might have been thanks to the Modern Slavery Act has been fundamentally undermined by the legislation passed by successive Conservative governments.

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Survivors of modern slavery have seen their rights and protections attacked as part of the government’s hostile immigration policies.

Modern slavery cannot be treated as an immigration issue, nor can our response be led by law enforcement alone. This has been shown time and again to make people more vulnerable to exploitation and has proven ineffective in holding traffickers to account.

Here’s how we take down criminals and support survivors

Relatively few traffickers are convicted in the UK, and sentences imposed on them are often lenient. For all that has been said and done about modern slavery it remains low-risk, high reward for traffickers. Instead, safeguarding must be at the heart of our response so that survivors can access their rights to support, protection and justice.

Ensuring survivors have access to expert legal advice, safe accommodation, mental health support, independent advocacy and secure immigration status provides the foundation for their recovery and ability to thrive as members of society.

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Modern slavery is of course a serious crime and so a Labour government must commit to seeing traffickers prosecuted, their assets seized, and survivors compensated.

To do so, we must first take good care of those who have suffered exploitation. In opposition we have had to watch the government claim leadership of the response to modern slavery in the UK and around the world. Their actions have ranged from ineffective to harmful. It is time that the Labour Party take the initiative and commit to ending modern slavery for good.

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