Forward

Modern slavery is a terrible crime, robbing survivors of their freedom and safety. Whilst the UK has legal obligations to support survivors to rebuild their lives, we do not know if that is happening in practice. Where we do have evidence, the picture is worrying. Relatively few people subjected to severe exploitation are able to access compensation, suitable housing or advice, and the reasoning behind who does and does not get help is unclear.

This report by After Exploitation is a vital piece of work, underpinned by a vast amount of research. It is based on interviews with 50 practitioners who rely on modern slavery evidence. Most importantly, we also hear directly from survivors of modern slavery, many of whom also work to engage politicians and journalists in these issues. Their voices and insights are powerful.

Data gaps harm survivors, making their voices doubly invisible. Scarce evidence also harms the work of practitioners, making it harder for them to offer support, and advocate for survivors. In some cases, as this report shows, important advocacy, reporting or research has been abandoned due to a lack of public data. Lastly, data gaps work against the interests of responsible government, as they prevent lawmakers from understanding if their own laws are being followed.

Of course, there is no magic wand to produce all the data we need. Producing statistics is expensive, and the question of how to prioritise statistics is a complex one. But statistics producers have a duty to ensure that statistics answer the important questions. As this report demonstrates it is clear that, on modern slavery, this is not always the case.

I hope that this work by After Exploitation, made possible by the many experts who have contributed, will get the attention it deserves.

Anna Powell-Smith, Director of the Centre for Public Data

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