Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group
About the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group
Anti-Slavery International hosts and chairs the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group (ATMG), a coalition of fifteen anti-trafficking organisations, established in 2009 to monitor the UK’s implementation of European anti-trafficking legislation. The group addresses all forms of human trafficking using a human-rights-based approach.
Most members deliver frontline services across diverse demographics, forms of exploitation and all UK nations. Some act as First Responders within the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), others provide legal advice, while others deliver support through the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract and equivalent adult services in devolved nations, as well as the Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship (ICTG) service.
ATMG plays a crucial role in our advocacy to improve the anti-slavery response of the UK Government.
ATMG’s work
The group continues to monitor survivors’ access to identification, support and protection, and the effectiveness of prevention mechanisms against the provisions set out in the European Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings (ECAT) in the UK.
Monitoring activities are then translated into research findings, which form the basis of the coalition’s advocacy for improvements in the UK’s response to trafficking and other forms of modern slavery.
Recent reports & publications
- ‘A Training Framework for Local Authorities as First Responders in England and Wales’ is the final output of a research project conducted by Middlesex University in partnership with the ATMG and in consultation with lived and learnt experience experts. It provides a training framework to inform the development of modern slavery training curricula for Local Authorities. Download a copy of the Training Framework here. Also available: Research report and executive summary
- ‘Modern Slavery reconsiderations’ is a briefing published by the ATMG and After Exploitation assessing the barriers faced by survivors of modern slavery to submit a reconsideration request to re-enter the National Referral Mechanism. Download a copy of the briefing here.
- ‘Joint Shadow report to the Group of Experts on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings’ is a joint report coordinated and collated by the ATMG and informed by ATMG members and other expert organisations across the sector to inform GRETA’s fourth evaluation round of the UK. Download the full report here.
- ‘Breaking barriers: supporting young victims of trafficking transitioning to adulthood’ is a briefing highlighting that a significant number of children were being suspended from the National Referral Mechanism upon turning 18 because of the lack of consent to remain in the process. The briefing analysis the potential repercussions and impact of this issue. Download the briefing here.
“One day at a time” is the first report looking at the experience of the Recovery Needs Assessment (RNA) process. This report charters the first-hand experiences of, not only those on the receiving end of support, but also the experiences of Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC) support providers, along with, support workers outside of the MSVCC.
Download a copy of the full report here.
Also available: executive summary and overview
Agents for Change is a briefing that shares reflections on the lessons and challenges of a small research team originally formed to conduct research on long-term outcomes for survivors of slavery in the UK in 2020. The team consisted of three women with lived experience of modern slavery and the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group (ATMG). Co-written by survivors and non-survivors of slavery or exploitation, this briefing shares collective and individual reflections on the process of working and learning together to date.
Download PDF: Agents for Change
Watch and listen to the Podcast series on YouTube:
The key successes of the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group include:
- Influencing the UK Government’s decision to sign the Council of Europe Action against Trafficking in Human Beings in 2009. This led to the provision of a legal basis for policies and the initiation of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) – the UK’s primary support system for identified victims of slavery.
- Since its initiation the coalition has successfully advocated for the provisions within the mechanism to be improved and to be more victim-centred.
- The ATMG was instrumental in identifying the human rights violations and failures in identification of victims, associated with treating victims as immigration problems first and victims second.
- The ATMG was instrumental in the shaping of the Modern Slavery Act, including introduction of Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTG), measures to protect victims from being prosecuted and the introduction of an Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.
- A reversal of the Home Office decision to cut the rate of subsistence support provided to over 1,000 victims of trafficking. The cuts to subsistence rates had made it extremely difficult for victims to rebuild their lives, making them more vulnerable to re-trafficking.
- The ATMG provided evidence to the court case that forced the Government to drop the 45 days limit for providing support for survivors and obliged it to design a system providing them long term support fulfilling their individual needs.