Statement: Passing of the Nationality and Borders Bill

A Salvation Army spokesperson said:

“We are deeply disappointed to witness the passing of the Nationality and Borders Bill with a failure to accept important amendments proposed by the House of Lords.  These amendments, based on listening to survivors and experts in the modern slavery sector, would have minimised barriers which now exist for potential victims of modern slavery trying to access the support they need and are entitled to. 

Alongside our partners we fought for amendments that would have ensured:  

- The removal of time limits on potential victims telling their story as people who are traumatised often need time to share what has happened to them. 

- The removal of measures that will prevent people who have committed criminal acts from receiving support – many survivors of modern slavery have been forced to commit crimes by their trafficker.

- Guaranteed right to live in the UK (leave to remain) for 12 months for confirmed survivors of modern slavery to enable them to continue to recover.  

- Children who have been exploited are protected from the impacts of this new legislation and treated separately from adult survivors.

Despite this setback we are committed to continuing our work with survivors and other partners to ease access to the specialist support available to help survivors recover and build resilience so they can move on with their lives.  We will continue to pursue the routes we believe could make a positive impact, such as improving quality and consistency of training for all First Responder organisations and decision makers in the Home Office.”