Ask your MP to take action for survivors
Ella’s is part of a group called Free for good. We’ve been calling on the Government to do more to ensure people who have survived trafficking and exploitation have the long-term support they need in order to recover, build safe lives and stay free. Please add your voice, by contacting your MP today.
The problem
Victims of modern slavery in England and Wales currently have no legal right to support. The Government provides survivors with a limited period of care while the authorities decide if the person is a victim, but then the support ends.
Ella’s works to plug gaps like this, providing the care women need to truly recover, stay safe and rebuild their lives. But the need for this kind of support across the country is huge, and too many survivors are unable to access it. The consequences of this are devastating, with many women falling back into danger and re-exploitation.
Yeta’s story
Yeta was one of our first safe house residents. She is a survivor of trafficking and exploitation, originally from Albania. The years of trauma that she experienced have had a significant impact on Yeta. She has complex post-traumatic stress disorder and frequently loses consciousness when something reminds her of the past. She finds many aspects of life extremely difficult and frightening as a result.
“I was so lucky that you [Ella’s] were able to open the door to me. Otherwise, things would have become even worse.”
With the right support, women like Yeta can recover and rebuild their lives. But without it, they stand little chance of being able to recover and stay safe. This is why we must push for change, so more women like her have all they need to recover and stay safe.
The response
Lord McColl of Dulwich has brought forward a Bill in the House of Lords to put this right. His Modern Slavery (Victim Support) Bill will give survivors in England and Wales a guaranteed right to support during the initial period when the decision about the status is being made, and for a further minimum of 12 months afterwards.
Twelve months of support and permission to be in the UK is the minimum length of time survivors need to give them a stable foundation for recovery, so this Bill is crucial.
If passed, this Bill will protect survivors from being vulnerable to re-trafficking, as well as allowing a direct pathway to recovery, ensuring quality of care, and making sure their rights are guaranteed after Brexit.
Take action: email your MP today
It is really important that MPs hear from people like you, their constituents, about why we need the Modern Slavery (Victim Support) Bill. Please contact your MP today.
Here is a message ready for you to send to your MP by email or letter, just click to download. Please include your full name and address so your MP can see that you live in their constituency. If you want to, please personalise the message with some words of your own, to make it more powerful.
If you don’t know who your MP is, you can go to the Free for good website, enter your postcode and go from there.
For more about the Bill and the Free for good campaign, visit www.freeforgood.org.uk
Please contact your MP today. It’s quick and simple, and it could make a big difference among survivors of trafficking and exploitation. Thank you.