Resource

Survivors of human trafficking are victims of serious crime and grave human rights abuses. Yet in the United Kingdom many survivors - particularly non-British nationals - are instead treated as offenders. Rather than receiving protection, they are frequently arrested, prosecuted, imprisoned, detained under immigration powers and excluded from support because of offences that are directly linked to their trafficking and exploitation. Helen Bamber Foundation and Asylum Aid’s new report, ‘When the law changes sides’, sets out how this happens, why it keeps happening, and what needs to change.

Asylum Aid has welcomed a landmark Upper Tribunal judgment finding that the Home Office acted unlawfully by operating a secret practice for around nine years of granting recognised victims of trafficking only 12 months' Temporary Permission to Stay (Victim of Trafficking) ("VTS leave") in recovery cases where applicants could not provide evidence showing how long their medical treatment would last. The case, brought by Asylum Aid, forced the Home Office to disclose for the first time that the practice existed and had been in operation for such a long time, was communicated only through verbal instructions and was never set out in written guidance.

In 2025, Asylum Aid has transformed the lives of survivors of trafficking, torture and persecution navigating extremely complex situations. We reunited families separated by conflict, challenged unfair asylum refusals, and provided practical support at critical moments – ensuring long-term stability and safety for hundreds of vulnerable people.