Why a survivor is adamant Part 5 of the Nationality and Borders Bill must be dropped
Unseen stands with victims of trafficking and slavery. Katherine* is a survivor in our service who has written to Priti Patel to demand that she doesn’t roll back past governments’ achievements in tackling slavery by the proposed new Nationality and Borders Bill.
We urge you to sign Katherine’s petition today – simply fill in the form on this page to show your support to her and other potential survivors.
Letter to the Home Secretary
Dear Rt Hon Priti Patel
My name is Katherine. I was illegally brought to England by a man I trusted. He tricked me, then abused me – mentally and physically – and gave me no way to escape. The Nationality and Borders Bill will affect people like me, the people who have no choices in life.
I’m writing this letter with the help of Unseen. Unseen gives us a voice, and I want to use mine to protect other vulnerable people like me who have been deceived, lied to, abused, controlled, treated like worthless human beings and forced to do criminal things they didn’t want to do.
I was one of those people your authorities locked up in a detention centre. I was in line to be forcibly removed back to my native country in Eastern Europe, where my trafficker would be waiting – as he had done before. But it was only because one kind officer listened to my story and recognised I was a victim of trafficking that I was finally believed and given support to recover.
If Part 5 is not dropped from the Nationality and Borders Bill, survivors like me will go undetected, and the cycle of abuse and exploitation will continue. The Bill will also go against the government’s commitment to tackle slavery.
The Bill will:
- Make it harder for survivors like me to get support
- Put a cruel deadline by when survivors must come forward and report their abuse and exploitation, otherwise we’ll be assumed to be lying
- Deny support to survivors who have a criminal record – but what happens if that person was forced to commit those crimes by their exploiter?
People like me should talk to the police. It helps prosecute exploiters. But it’s hard, and it takes time to talk about what happened. The Nationality and Borders Bill will make it harder and victims will not be found.
This safehouse (where I am now) has given me strength. But I’m worried about the people like me, people who wouldn’t be allowed support, who don’t talk, the people who still have no choices in life.
Yours sincerely
Katherine
*Katherine is not her real name
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