The post has been vacant given that April this year, despite becoming mandated under legislation through 2015, under the Modern Captivity Act.
‘Unsubstantiated claims’
“There is little evidence to support these claims and generalising them is dangerous and regressive, ” the experts additional. Government officials have “voiced claims in the media”, a press release issued for the experts said, while Perfect Minister Rishi Sunak is reported having delivered an oral statement to Parliament, on 13 December, saying that “the threshold regarding someone to be considered a modern slave will be significantly raised”. The Government was also urged to address human rights concerns experts have previously recognized regarding risks of trafficking and contemporary forms of slavery faced by workers in the UK, including migrants and asylum-seekers.
‘Misleading statements’
They urged community officials to refrain from inflamed and spurious rhetoric that delegitimises survivors of slavery and human trafficking and their legal representatives. “Focus instead on strengthening steps to protect these vulnerable populations, ” they added. The credibility of sufferers of trafficking and modern forms of slavery – which includes migrants and nationals – is now under attack in the united kingdom, the Human Rights Council -appointed experts warned, in a declaration published on Monday. The experts said they had already been in contact with the UK Government and “regret the lack of reaction to their last communication at the related issue”, said the particular press release. The particular independent experts called to the Government to immediately find a new Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, as a first step. “Misleading statements that exaggerate the level of fraud and abuse in the system to protect victims of trafficking and slavery, claim that survivors of these practices are usually migrants in an irregular scenario or criminals rather than vulnerable victims of gross human rights violations, ” the particular UN experts said, “and that their legal representatives are cynical opportunists instead of human rights defenders.
Strengthen defense
“We are usually alarmed by the rise in unsubstantiated claims by public officials and Government departments regarding persons seeking protection under the Modern Slavery Act as well as the National Referral Mechanism in the past days and weeks, ” they said. Special Rapporteurs are usually mandated to monitor and document on specific country situations or thematic issues. They are independent of any govt or organization, operate within their individual capacity, and are none UN staff nor are they paid for their work. The particular independent rights experts warned that this kind of rhetoric by politicians or officials not only puts victims of trafficking and contemporary forms of captivity at risk, “but may also embolden human traffickers. ” “This has a chilling effect on all those willing to come forward since victims and those willing to offer legal representation to victims, impeding efforts to identify and protect victims and individuals at risk of trafficking and keep perpetrators accountable, ” the experts said. They noted that demands for corroborating evidence simply by civil society have long gone ignored on multiple events by the officials in question. According to news reports, civil society activists in the anti-slavery field have accused the UK Government of moving back support, reclassifying modern slavery as an immigration concern, and calling into issue the validity of trafficking claims.
