On 5 May 2026, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) published its latest report on the United Kingdom. In this blog, our ATMG coordinator unpacks some of the key findings and recommendations to address the vulnerabilities that affect survivors of modern slavery in the UK.  

Eleven years on from the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA), and with the UK Government’s focus on immigration enforcement over modern slavery prevention, the GRETA report comes at a critical time.  

Anti-Slavery International and the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group, have consistently highlighted how the de-prioritisation of modern slavery in favour of immigration crime enforcement increases survivors’ risk of re‑exploitation.  

The findings of the GRETA report are clear: recent legislation that heightens migrants’ risks of detention and deportation deters them from reporting exploitation or seeking support. As we know, these are conditions that traffickers use to target and control victims. 

In its report, GRETA makes important remarks calling on the UK authorities to ensure that all potential victims of modern slavery are identified and referred for support, regardless of their immigration status.  We welcome the findings and recommendations of the report, which emphasise the urgent need for a survivor‑informed strategy that addresses the root causes of exploitation.  

Prevention and root causes of exploitation 

The GRETA report finds that the UK is not adequately addressing the root causes of exploitation, which are often deeply entwined with socio‑economic inequalities. It highlights the need for a comprehensive and survivor‑informed strategy that prevents modern slavery and addresses the structural vulnerabilities that allow it to continue. Poverty, lack of access to secure employment, education, housing, and discrimination, that disproportionately affect people from black and other ethnically minoritised communities, are all enabling factors of modern slavery. In this context, GRETA highlights the importance of survivor representation and consultation in the design of anti‑trafficking policies and interventions. The report by the UK’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC), published on 5 May, also identifies inequality, poverty and structural barriers as key factors that enable and exacerbate exploitation. 

Evidence shows us that perpetrators can exploit vulnerabilities when systems fail to offer adequate support. Restrictive government policies can actively intensify these risks. For example, the GRETA report identifies the imposition of the ‘no recourse to public funds’ on certain cohorts of migrants as a condition which increases the risk of homelessness and destitution and recommends that the UK government reconsiders its imposition on survivors of modern slavery.  

The Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group and the wider modern slavery sector have long called for a refreshed, cross‑government Modern Slavery Strategy, including a specific child-exploitation strategy, that ensure the response to modern slavery is prioritised and well-coordinated. But no new strategy has been introduced in England and Wales since 2014, before the MSA was introduced. Significant failures have been identified in policies and procedures to prevent child exploitation and to effectively identify, safeguard, and protect children. Our ATMG member, ECPAT UK provides further detail on these findings and GRETA’s recommendations in their news story. 

A new holistic strategy that addresses the gaps that GRETA identified is a crucial step to ensuring that the UK is addressing modern slavery alongside systemic vulnerabilities and tackling its root causes.  

Protection, identification and support 

Over recent years, because of changes in legislation like the introduction of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (NABA) and the Illegal Migration Act 2023 (IMA), survivors have faced increasing barriers to identification and support through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).  

GRETA’s assessment of the UK acknowledges the impact of NABA and the IMA on increasing vulnerabilities to human trafficking. This is because of the high evidence threshold to identify people as victims of modern slavery, which adds to the challenges they face in navigating the NRM. Barriers to identification are also as a result of the pressure that legislative changes and underfunding have placed on First responder organisations.  

Just as our member Kalayaan and other non-statutory First responders have long advocated for, the GRETA report recommends increasing resources for First Responders. It also recommends increasing funding for Local Authorities to ensure that they can prioritise and effectively respond to modern slavery.  

Crucially, GRETA highlighted that data sharing between immigration enforcement and labour inspection bodies is a key deterrent to reporting exploitation. ATMG member FLEX has long called for the implementation of secure reporting pathways to ensure that migrants could report abuse and exploitation in the workplace without fear around their immigration status. 

Some other recommendations to prevent labour exploitation include:

  • Addressing vulnerabilities to labour exploitation of migrant workers across different visa sponsorship schemes and improving possibilities for migrant workers to change employers;  
  • Significantly increasing resources for labour market enforcement bodies; 
  • Taking action to improve the current visa system for migrant domestic workers. 

Outstanding issues from GRETA’s previous evaluation rounds of the UK 

GRETA acknowledges that there have been some improvements in the UK’s response to modern slavery since its previous evaluation round. Despite this progress, many issues identified in the previous round were insufficiently addressed.  

For example, barriers to accessing legal representation during the identification process, including before an NRM referral is made. Representation is critical, particularly as negative decisions on identification increase because of the higher evidence threshold and barriers to reconsideration. Another urgent outstanding issue that GRETA urges the UK authorities to address is the need to strengthen efforts to facilitate access to compensation for survivors of trafficking. 

GRETA also highlights ongoing failures in implementing the ‘non-punishment principle’, which would ensure that survivors are not wrongly criminalised for acts they were forced to commit as part of their exploitation. In light of the introduction of the ‘Public Order Disqualification’, which has led to many survivors being excluded from the NRM, in particular survivors who were subject to criminal exploitation, the correct application of this principle is essential. The application of the public order disqualification to date has even been deemed unlawful by the UK High Court. This aligns with GRETA’s interpretation and recommendation on the application of Article 13(3) ECAT, calling upon the UK authorities to ensure that disqualifications of presumed victims from accessing the recovery and reflection period on grounds of public order or bad faith are applied in exceptional circumstances, with due regard to the circumstances of the individual case and with respect for the principle of proportionality. 

Another issue that was not addressed since the last round, was the provision of long-term support and granting leave to remain for survivors who receive a decision that confirms they were victims of modern slavery. This is essential to prevent re‑exploitation and allow survivors to recover and rebuild their lives. We have long called for survivors to be granted five years’ leave to remain with a pathway to settlement. But current grants remain limited in number and duration.  

What we want to see going forward 

GRETA’s review of the UK highlights the critical intersection between systemic inequalities and modern slavery. We welcome GRETA’s recommendation to the UK Government to strengthen its prevention approach by addressing the root causes of exploitation and ensuring that policies and legislation do not exacerbate the conditions that enable it.  

We urge the UK Government to re‑prioritise the response to modern slavery and ensure sufficient resources are allocated to tackle this crime and protect those affected. As a first step, the Government must take on board the findings and recommendations from the Group of Experts on Trafficking in Human Beings, and develop a cross‑governmental strategy, including a strategy on child exploitation.  

Crucially, GRETA emphasises the importance of working with lived experience experts in the design and implementation of measures to prevent trafficking and protect survivors. It must also engage and consult with other experts across the sector in the design of any policies affecting survivors of modern slavery. This is essential to ensure a system that effectively prevents exploitation and supports those affected. 

International frameworks like ECAT are crucial in shaping a human rights‑based response to modern slavery. We would welcome a renewed commitment to the principles that this Convention lays out. 

This evaluation re‑centres the need to treat modern slavery as a priority. We urge the Government to take these recommendations seriously and to take meaningful steps to strengthen the current system.