Minding our words - a letter from our CEO
In the light of recent policy changes, we have made the decision to change how we speak about the work we do. In this blog, our CEO, Rachel Medina, explains the reasons for these changes.
"It’s been a tough two years in the anti-slavery sector.
First there was the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. Then came the Illegal Migration Act 2023. Now, we’ve had the devastating news that the Rwanda Bill has passed in parliament.
Each of these pieces of legislation has taken a sledgehammer to the rights of people seeking protection, and especially to those who were brought here only to be exploited. To add insult to injury, any proposed amendments to make an exception for those who were brought here unwillingly through modern slavery have been steamrolled.
It’s been a tough two years, being buffeted by the changes in legislation, one after another. During this period, we have watched the government incorrectly conflate people smuggling – the act of moving people across transnational borders for profit - with human trafficking.
Human trafficking as defined by the United Nations is the “transport, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person via force, threats, fraud, deception, coercion, kidnapping, abuse of power or a position of vulnerability for the purpose of exploitation”. There is no choice there.
This conflation in the media has meant that British survivors are erased from the narrative of “trafficking”. Yet British people are the largest national group identified as potential victims - one in four potential victims in the UK in 2023 were British. This doesn’t often make the news.
Conflating the issue also provides justification for the government to withdraw support for some survivors of modern slavery, as those who arrive in the UK by ‘irregular means’, including in small boats, will be disqualified from protection and support.
This is because the government has claimed that those who arrive in the UK by ‘irregular means’ are abusing the system by falsely claiming to be survivors of modern slavery, ‘in bad faith’. However, in 2022, only 6% of people arriving in small boats claimed to be survivors of modern slavery. Of those, 85% received positive Reasonable Grounds from decision makers, meaning that the Home Office believed they may have been victims of modern slavery.
Essentially, these pieces of legislation bar those who say they have experienced exploitation or modern slavery from accessing identification and support if they arrived here ‘irregularly’ and place them at greater risk of homelessness, destitution and re-exploitation.
We are already seeing the impact of these changes through the tightening and restriction of government support for survivors.
Between October and December 2022, 87% of adults and 90% of children referred to the National Referral Mechanism – the government’s system for identifying and supporting potential victims of modern slavery - received a positive Reasonable Grounds decision, indicating that there was sufficient evidence to demonstrate their status as potential victims of modern slavery.
However, in 2023 this dropped to 55%.
This decline does not reflect a decrease in the number of individuals being exploited; rather, it highlights the new challenges and barriers that the legislation has created for survivors trying to access support.
The goalposts for accessing support have been moved, and people are slipping through the cracks when they most need help.
As a result of this, survivors are at even greater risk of homelessness, destitution and re-exploitation.
Years of progress in the sector have been rolled back before our eyes.
I remember each of the women and men I have supported over the years; individuals who were told lies, kidnapped, tricked, promised hope and a future, and instead had their freedom taken from them. I carry them with me, each of them fundamentally changing me, widening, stretching, growing me into the person I am, more determined than ever that each one should have the right to recover and find their own future.
It has been a tough two years.
For a long time, our tagline has been “empowering survivors of human trafficking”. Now, we feel that human trafficking has become too narrow for us, too confusing and complicated to explain.
We have taken the time to look at our language in order to make sure it is fit for purpose. As a result of the above, we have made the decision to change the language we use to talk about the work we do, to make sure that all those who require our support feel welcome at Snowdrop.
In light of everything, we have decided we will no longer use the phrase “human trafficking”. Instead, we are moving to the broader, and clearer, phrasing of “modern slavery and exploitation”.
From the very beginning, the Snowdrop Project has been committed to supporting individuals who would otherwise fall through the gaps in the government’s systems. Our mission has always been to provide a safe, welcoming and supportive environment for survivors to rebuild their lives after finding freedom from exploitation, and it remains so.
A future free from modern slavery.
Although the language we use is changing, our services will remain the same; we will continue to support those who have experienced any form of modern slavery, including those who have been trafficked.
These changes during a cost of living crisis have had a huge impact - we have seen demand for our services rise in tandem with our operating costs, creating unprecedented pressure on Snowdrop as an organisation.
We hope that by changing the language we use, we will reach more survivors, including those who do not recognise that they have been exploited, those who do not meet the government's evidence threshold for support, and British nationals who may think they are exempt from government support.
Over the past two years, we have already seen an increase in referrals. Unfortunately, our casework team are working at full capacity. This means that, for the first time in Snowdrop’s history, we now have a waiting list for our casework service.
Currently, there are 10 survivors waiting to access casework support. Whilst we try and ensure these clients have access to other forms of support at Snowdrop, such as counselling and community activities, sadly we don’t have the funds to employ another caseworker right now. We remain committed to supporting every survivor who comes to Snowdrop, and we hope to provide casework support to every individual on our waiting list soon.
We believe and have hope that there is a future free from modern slavery.
Yours,
Rachel"
If you have any questions about any of the above, please feel free to contact us by emailing info@snowdropproject.co.uk.
As ever, thank you for your support and commitment to building a future free from modern slavery.