Latest news with #EleanorLyons
The Independent
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Farmers could foot foreign workers' upfront costs to travel to UK
A government-commissioned report suggests British farms and supermarkets could address the exploitation of seasonal fruit and vegetable pickers by covering their travel and visa costs, estimated to be between £850-£1,500 per worker. The study, undertaken for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), proposes four models where recruiters, farms, retailers, or consumers bear the costs, potentially adding 1-3 pence per week to consumer fruit and vegetable prices. The research estimates that implementing the 'Employer Pays Principle' would cost £43.1 million in total and eliminate debt for 18,200 workers, with 70 per cent of seasonal workers currently accruing debt to come to the UK. While retailers and worker representatives largely support the proposal, many farmers are concerned it could threaten worker commitment, as the current system incentivises hard work to clear debts. Independent anti-slavery commissioner Eleanor Lyons urged the government to act, highlighting the increased vulnerability of seasonal workers who face excessive hours, debt bondage, and challenging conditions.
The Guardian
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Modern slavery victims opt to stay with exploiters for fear of deportation, research finds
Modern slavery victims are choosing to stay with their exploiters rather than access government support designed to protect them because of fears of immigration enforcement, research has found. The independent anti-slavery commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, said the system is 'deeply broken'. Two pieces of research shared exclusively with the Guardian find that, a decade after the introduction of the Modern Slavery Act, the landmark piece of legislation designed to protect trafficking victims and apprehend their perpetrators is failing. The first study, from Nottingham University's Rights Lab and commissioned by Lyons' office, , will be published next Wednesday. According to the report, titled Refusal to Consent, refusals to access support from the government's support system for trafficking victims, are at record levels. Potential victims who come into contact with the authorities but do not want to access the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) are recorded in statistics known as duty to notify. These reports have soared by more than 630% since 2016 – from 762 in 2016 to 5,598 in 2024 – a sign that victims are losing trust in the system. Fear of deportation is the primary reason victims are rejecting support, according to the report, which questioned professionals working with victims and analysed government and academic data. Many victims believe the NRM is a trap that leads to immigration enforcement rather than protection. Hostile immigration policies and inflammatory language from the government is scaring victims away from the systems supposed to protect them, it found. Some traffickers use government rhetoric about the hostile environment and the threat of deportation to keep victims in a position of exploitation, according to the research. Government return agreements with Albania and Vietnam, which have high numbers of trafficking victims, has increased fear of coming forward among victims from these countries. In 2024 victims of trafficking were among those being issued with notices of intent that they were going to be forcibly removed to Rwanda. The second report, Barriers to Prosecutions and Convictions under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, is from the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centreat the University of Oxford. It commissioned research from the Wilberforce Institute at the University of Hull, which analysed prosecution data since the act was introduced and found it remained low, with prosecutions as a percentage of potential trafficking victims referred to the NRM at just 1.8%. Between July 2023 and June 2024 17,120 potential modern slavery victims were referred to the NRM while over the same period 58 people in England and Wales were convicted of offences linked to modern slavery. Alicia Heys, an academic at the University of Hull who authored the study for the PEC, said: 'Part of the intention behind the Modern Slavery Act was to ensure that perpetrators receive suitably severe punishments, yet 10 years after the introduction of the act, conviction rates remain low. Sometimes offenders are pursued under different legislation, for example relating to drugs or controlling prostitution, which misrepresents survivors' experiences.' Lyons said: 'It's heartbreaking but not surprising that more and more potential victims of modern slavery are saying no to help. 'When fear of deportation outweighs the promise of protection, when there are few consequences for criminal perpetrators and people feel safer staying in exploitation than entering the system that's meant to help them, something is deeply broken. 'This report is a wake-up call: the National Referral Mechanism, the government's framework of support, isn't just misunderstood, it's mistrusted, mishandled, and in urgent need of reform.' The Home Office has been approached for comment.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
More women than men in contacts to anti-slavery charity helpline for first time
More female potential victims of exploitation in the UK than males have been identified by an anti-slavery charity helpline for the first time since it was launched nearly a decade ago. Unseen said the findings 'expose a deeply troubling trend' of women and girls being 'targeted in cycles of abuse, forced labour, and sexual exploitation'. A total of 4,839 potential victims of modern slavery were identified through contacts made to Unseen's helpline in 2024. Of the victims for which gender information was provided, there were 1,478 females, accounting for 53% of the total, compared to 1,306 males (47% of the total). Of the females, 971 were women, 119 were girls and ages for the rest were not known. The rise in the numbers of female potential victims is partly down to an increase in exploitation of migrant women in the care sector, the charity – which set up its helpline in 2016 – said. Unseen's latest report said potential victims of labour abuse in the care sector had almost doubled in a year, from 564 to 1,217. Examples of labour abuse include employers not complying with the National Minimum Wage, employees being required to work long or excessive hours, and harassment, intimidation or bullying, the charity said. While these cases demonstrate worker rights abuses, they do not involve the level of control common in instances of modern slavery, Unseen said. The most common type of exploitation affecting females was sexual exploitation, followed by labour exploitation and domestic servitude, the charity said. Unseen executive director Justine Carter said: 'These individuals are not just numbers – they are real people who have been deceived, coerced, or forcibly trafficked into horrific situations. 'Many are subjected to physical and psychological abuse, often too afraid to seek help due to threats from their exploiters.' Of the male potential victims for which age and gender were known, there were 1,038 men and 87 boys. While the care sector remained the most common for potential victims, the construction industry overtook services – such as car washes and beauty salons – becoming the second biggest area for cases and potential victims. Indian remained the most common potential victim nationality, but there was what the charity described as a 'significant' rise by two-thirds for Chinese potential victims, with 140 identified last year. While there was a rise in Bulgarian potential victims from eight to 54 last year, the number of Albanian potential victims almost halved to 59. The 2023 report saw forced surrogacy feature in the helpline figures for the first time with three potential victims, but this dropped to one last year. The total number of contacts to the helpline fell slightly to 11,464 from 11,700 in 2023. Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Eleanor Lyons said: 'The sharp rise in female victims, particularly in cases of sexual exploitation and forced labour in sectors like care, is deeply alarming. 'It reflects a growing crisis that cannot be ignored if the Government are serious about tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG). The Government's commitment to halving VAWG within a decade will only be possible if modern slavery is fully addressed within its VAWG strategy. 'The Helpline remains an irreplaceable source of independent, confidential support, but these figures are a stark call to action: we must do more to protect the most vulnerable and ensure every survivor has a path to justice and recovery.' Government figures, published in March, showed a record high of almost 20,000 potential victims of modern slavery referred into the system last year – a rise of 13% in 12 months. A total of 19,125 potential victims in the UK were referred to the Home Office in 2024, up from 16,990 the previous year. Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said: 'Modern slavery is a totally unconscionable crime, and I have witnessed firsthand how it dehumanises its victims. This Government's commitment is to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade, as part of our Plan for Change, and we will use every lever at our disposal to protect survivors and punish their abusers. 'I urge anyone with evidence of abuse and exploitation in the workplace to come forward and report this to the relevant authorities, so we can thoroughly investigate the vile criminals responsible, and ensure that the survivors of their abuse get the support they need.'
The Guardian
23-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
MPs could axe clause in bill banning forced labour in GB Energy supply chain
Measures that would have blocked companies found to have used forced labour in any part of the state-owned Great British Energy supply chain from receiving public money could be overturned this week. Labour MPs are being whipped on Tuesday to throw out the clause that was inserted into the energy bill in the House of Lords in February. But the Labour MP Alex Sobel is proposing to buttress the measure by moving an amendment to the bill that would authorise the independent anti-slavery commissioner to determine whether the threshold of credible evidence has been met. The move has the support of the anti-slavery commissioner Eleanor Lyons, but is raising concerns in the Foreign Office, which is intent on rebuilding relations with China. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the foreign secretary, David Lammy, have visited China since taking office. Concern has long been expressed that Chinese-manufactured solar panels likely to be bought by Great British Energy are made using Uyghur slave labour, a charge the Chinese government rejects. China dominates the solar panel market. Labour ministers say Great British Energy will already be empowered, and indeed be required, by law to root out slavery anywhere in its supply chain. Ministers also say a pre-existing solar taskforce co-chaired by Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, is charged with addressing the issue. But Lyons said: 'A decade ago the UK led the way setting new standards in the fight against modern slavery. Today we have fallen behind.' The business and trade select committee warned recently the UK is at serious risk of becoming a dumping ground for products made with forced labour: 'It is well evidenced that the renewable sector is heavily dependent on companies sourcing from areas like Xinjiang in China, and that forced labour is endemic in the region through involuntary labour transfer schemes. The Great British Energy Bill provides an ideal vehicle to ensure that the green transition is not built on the back of contemporary slaves.' Sobel said: 'The UK has been crystal clear that the UK will not tolerate slave-made goods and appreciates more must be done to root them out. Great British Energy provides us with the opportunity to not only pursue our green transition but bolster our national security, but only if we are to reduce our dependence on China. 'Ensuring our solar supply chains are free from slavery would also see the UK take a leading position on human rights, as a force for good. 'We have listened to the government arguments and tabled an amendment which would provide a practical solution to this issue, assuring we are aligned with actions in Europe and the US.' The amendment passed by 177 votes to 127 in the Lords and has Conservative support, as well as the backing of the human rights barrister Helena Kennedy. Lord Offord, a former Conservative exports minister, said: 'The UK's Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires companies to take responsibility for their supply chains, yet we know that modern slavery remains a serious issue in the global energy sector, particularly in the sourcing of solar panels, batteries and raw materials such as lithium and cobalt. 'This amendment does not create unnecessary bureaucracy or hinder investment; it simply ensures that taxpayers' money does not fund exploitation.' In opposition Labour backed moves to declare China's actions in Xinjiang genocide and to block trade deals with countries found by UK courts to have committed genocide. But in a speech last week Lammy said he had asked the Foreign Office 'to turbo-charge the relationships which will generate the greatest returns on investment for UK plc in the medium-term. At the top of that list stands the EU, China and the United States of America'. He called for pragmatic engagement with China, cooperating on climate change goals without endangering UK national security. He said future ambassadors 'will in priority markets be assessed against their delivery of trade and investment wins overseas'.
The Guardian
16-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Flawed UK visa scheme led to ‘horrific' care worker abuse, says watchdog
A post-Brexit visa scheme to fill vacancies in social care was badly designed and enabled 'horrific' abuse of migrant workers, the UK's anti-slavery watchdog has said. Commissioner Eleanor Lyons said the care worker visa route introduced by the Conservatives in February 2022 had caused avoidable harm and 'some really severe' exploitation. 'In an already high-risk sector where there were large-scale shortages and we needed lots of workers to be able to come in and fill that gap, there was a blunt instrument applied. It allowed for incredibly vulnerable people to be exploited because there wasn't a sensible policy intervention in the first place,' Lyons said. The independent antislavery commissioner, a former special adviser to Boris Johnson, was speaking after the Home Office revealed more than 470 care companies have had their licences to sponsor migrant workers revoked amid concerns about fraud, abuse and exploitation. About 39,000 workers were linked to the firms. The Work Rights Centre said the figures pointed to a 'national scandal'. Lyons called the number of licence revocations 'alarming'. More than a quarter of the approximately 155,000 care workers who came to the UK from February 2022 to December 2024 were hired by employers who later lost their licence. Lyons said that while it was 'obviously good' that this government was 'cracking down on rogue agencies', she was concerned about unintended consequences for workers, pointing to strict rules that give them 60 days to find a new sponsor if theirs loses its licence – or face deportation. She urged ministers to consider reforms such as changes to the tied visa system to make it easier for exploited workers to move to other care jobs, a licensing scheme for hiring from abroad, and tougher penalties for rule-breakers. Changes announced last week including a requirement for employers to show they have tried to recruit from the pool of international workers already in England before hiring from abroad were welcome but not enough, she said. 'The scale of the issue we're seeing means we need to have a fresh fundamental approach.' The Observer previously revealed how care workers recruited from countries including India, Zimbabwe and the Philippines were tricked into paying illegal recruitment fees and in some cases trapped in conditions akin to debt bondage, with wages and passports withheld. Last year, an investigation found that companies granted licences to sponsor workers included suspected bogus firms with copy-and-paste websites, fake-looking reviews, PO boxes as addresses and no track record of providing care. In another case, 275 certificates of sponsorship were issued to a nonexistent care home. At least 177 companies were granted licences to sponsor workers despite a public track record of labour law violations. Employment experts say lax oversight of companies granted sponsor licences combined with the structure of the scheme – which means workers' visas are tied to a single employer, rather than sector-wide – have been key drivers of fraud and abuses, enabling loosely vetted sponsors to profit from exploitative practices and leaving workers afraid of reporting bad employers due to the threat their visa could be cancelled. Lyons said she had seen a 'real range' of abuses, from 'poor working practices where people have unreasonable demands put on them' to the 'extreme end of the spectrum', including 'horrific' exploitation and instances of modern slavery. In some cases, workers had sold property and quit jobs at home to afford 'extortionate recruitment agency fees' after being 'promised a life here', only to find the job did not exist. She said ministers had made some positive changes since the scheme was launched, such as requiring care agencies that sponsor workers from abroad to be registered with the Care Quality Commission. But she questioned why it had not been better designed to begin with. 'All the changes that have been made are sensible steps. I think the question remains: why were they never thought of in the first place? If the modern slavery charity sector was included from the start with the creation of this visa, I think we would have seen less exploitation over the years.' The care worker visa route was introduced to plug critical staffing shortages in social care exacerbated by the end of free movement after Brexit. It relaxed immigration rules by expanding the existing health and care worker visa to include entry-level workers in low-paid jobs for the first time. It helped reduce the social care vacancy rate, although this still remains high. But by late 2023, the CQC was warning that modern slavery had become 'a feature' of the UK's social care market. Unseen, which runs the Modern Slavery Helpline, identified a record 918 potential victims of modern slavery in the care sector in 2023, up from 63 in 2021. The number of migrant care workers coming to the UK fell drastically in 2024, partly due to changes to rules on family members. Before the election, Labour said that if it got into power, it would launch an investigation into the treatment of migrant care workers. Yvette Cooper, now the home secretary, said the Conservatives had 'turned a blind eye to widespread exploitation … putting vulnerable people at risk and undermining our immigration system'. The Work Rights Centre urged the government to uphold its promise and said its actions so far had amounted to 'tinkering' around the edges of a 'national scandal'. It said it had heard from 23 people in the past three months who were seeking help after their employer lost its sponsor licence, including one man, from North India, who was charged £16,000 to work in a UK care home. He now faces returning home in debt after the Home Office took action against his employer, leading to him losing his visa sponsorship. The centre is calling for 'urgent reform' including an end to tied visas and the introduction of new criminal offences and a civil penalties regime to hold sham sponsors to account. 'With 470 employers having their licences revoked, this is far more than 'a few bad apples',' its chief executive, Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol, said. The Home Office and Department of Health were contacted for comment. Last week, care minister Stephen Kinnock said the government was working to 'crack down on shameful rogue operators' and to get victims back into careers in adult social care, including barring repeat offenders from recruiting internationally and requiring care providers to hire from the existing pool of migrant workers before looking overseas. A Fair Work Agency is also planned to tackle mistreatment of workers, expected for 2026 or 2027, which Lyons said could be effective provided it was independent and had the 'powers and funding to do its job properly'. It is unclear whether the government still intends to hold an investigation into care sector abuses. The Conservative Party declined to comment on claims the visa scheme enabled widespread exploitation.
