Brexit uncertainty could leave thousands of trafficking victims in exploitation as helpline loses funding

Brexit uncertainty could lead to the closure of the UK’s modern slavery helpline, leaving thousands of trafficking victims across the country in exploitative situations, campaigners have warned.

Unseen, the charity that runs the helpline, said sustained political uncertainty and a tough economic period – created in large part by Brexit – had contributed to a drop in funding, forcing it to launch an emergency appeal to avert closure.

The helpline, which has identified 15,000 potential victims of trafficking since its launch in October 2016, is funded mainly from voluntary sources including trusts, policing authorities and corporate sponsors.

Unseen can make referrals from the helpline to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) – the UK's framework for identifying trafficking victims – while its data can also be used by police to combat modern slavery.

But the charity said it had been forced to seek government help after funding dried up.

Frank Field, the MP who led the review of the Modern Slavery Act, said the helpline was often the "first, most vital step of someone’s escape out of slavery".

In a statement, he added: "Too many people are trapped without hope of rescue as it is. We simply cannot let that number increase because government’s tight-fistedness leads to this crucial lifeline being snatched away.”

It comes amid an ongoing rise in potential trafficking and modern slavery victims being reported to UK authorities, with the latest annual statistics showing a rise of 36 per cent in a year, from 5,142 to 6,993.

Calls to the helpline have risen from 40 to more than 250 a week since it began, and the figure continues to increase, according to Unseen.

Andrew Wallis OBE, chief executive of the charity, said: “Without the helpline, thousands of men, women and children across the UK will remain enslaved and unseen.”

Emily Kenway, a senior adviser from the Focus on Labour Exploitation campaign group, said the phone line's possible closure pointed to a broader problem in the UK: the absence of a state-funded modern slavery helpline.

“It's vital workers or those around them have a clear place to report concerns, but currently we have a slavery focused helpline which is promoted by, but not funded by, the state and can only deal with the most serious cases,” she said.

“We need one state-funded nationwide hotline where anyone experiencing workplace abuse, from lower level forms to the most serious cases, can seek help safely.”

The Home Office has been contacted for comment.

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