UK: Hundreds of trafficking victims reported missing after referral to govt scheme, says report

Hundreds of victims of human trafficking have gone missing after they were referred to UK government scheme designed to protect them, reported The Guardian. The news outlet said that it obtained the data under UK's Freedom of Information Act. The data says that 566 potential or confirmed victims of human trafficking, who were referred to National Referral Mechanism (NRM), were reported missing between 2020 to 2022.

The NRM is designed with the aim of providing support and safety to victims of human trafficking.

The data reportedly says that the maximum number of missing people were reported in the year 2022. The number was 258. In the year 2021, 232 people were reported missing. Seventy-six people were missing in the year 2020. Guardian reported that maximum number of children who were missing were Albanian boys, while a majority of the adults who were missing were Vietnamese.

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“It is incredibly worrying that such significant numbers of victims are slipping through systems of support,” said Maya Esslemont, the director of After Exploitation, as quoted by The Guardian.

“This data shows a real risk of re-trafficking in the UK, even amongst people who report modern slavery and make steps towards recovery.”

“The role of control in modern slavery cannot be overstated, and many victims will fear repercussions from their traffickers for many months or years after exploitation as they are afraid of harm to themselves or loved ones if they do not remain in contact with their traffickers.”

“The government must urgently investigate these cases in order to understand what factors left survivors vulnerable to falling out of the process. It is vital that the NRM itself is fully funded and that every single survivor who needs safe housing, psychological and financial support to avoid re-trafficking is able to access it.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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