Under the current Home Office Policy, potential victims of trafficking whose cases are under review, and who are being accommodated by Local Authorities, are entitled to receive a sum of £65 per week. This money is granted to help them with their living costs, including food, personal hygiene products, and other expenses such as stamps or photocopying. Despite this, many victims of trafficking report receiving far less than this; most receiving a weekly sum of just £35.
On 1st July 2020, the Home Office introduced a new policy to discontinue these subsistence payments of £35 per week for victims of trafficking (VOT) who are in initial accommodation. Such victims are given food, but the initial accommodation does not cover essential living needs, such as toiletries and feminine hygiene, supplementary food, credit for mobile phones, stamps or photocopying. In fact, most hotels even charge for the use of WIFI.
An immigration lawyer representing victims of trafficking, said: “The subsistence payment should be payable in accordance with the state’s obligations under Article 12 of ECAT, the Article 11 EU Directive, Articles 3 and 4 ECHR and pursuant to Guidance and the Contract. The Home Office is now in breach of this, leaving these vulnerable victims at risk of exploitation.”
She went on to discuss what is being done to tackle this issue: when this new ruling was challenged in one of her cases the judge ordered interim relief, which reinstated the support payments at £65 per week.
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