"Asylum seekers are not abusing the modern slavery system in a widespread manner, according to a report from a centre-right thinktank that undermines statements from successive home secretaries. The report from Bright Blue finds limited evidence that asylum seekers are falsely claiming to have been the victims of modern slavery to stay in the country, despite several home secretaries blaming the system for stopping them deporting more people."
"The founder and executive chair of Bright Blue, Ryan Shorthouse, said: The Home Office thinks the modern slavery referral system is being abused because it allows people to stay in the country a bit longer. But while there may be some abuse, we are sceptical that it is widespread."
"Theresa May brought in the modern-day slavery rules in England and Wales in 2015, when the then home secretary established a formal mechanism to assess potential victims of slavery and human trafficking. The number of people referred to the system has climbed steeply since, from just over 3,000 in 2015 to more than 19,000 last year. Recent home secretaries have blamed the asylum system for the rise, accusing claimants of seeking to be classified as victims of modern-day slavery to avoid being deported. They point to the fact that some of the nationalities most commonly referred for assessment under trafficking rules are also those that form the bulk of asylum claims."
Limited evidence exists that asylum seekers are falsely claiming modern slavery victimhood to remain in the UK. Referral numbers to the modern slavery system rose from just over 3,000 in 2015 to more than 19,000 last year. Some home secretaries have blamed asylum processes for the increase, citing overlaps between nationalities referred and those lodging asylum claims. British nationals, followed by people from Albania, Vietnam and Eritrea, are commonly evaluated. Promised rule changes by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood are expected to have limited impact on overall asylum numbers. A system focused on earlier detection is proposed to address the small amount of abuse that does occur.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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