This guide is written to assist people working with refugees and asylum seekers in the UK to identify and respond to labour exploitation. It follows growing evidence that individuals who have an asylum claim in the UK are susceptible to forced labour. Organisations working with refugees and asylum seekers do not often talk to them about work, employment and how they economically survive. But service providers can play a crucial role in communicating core UK employment rights, and in helping this particular group of workers make informed decisions about work by understanding the options for and outcomes of seeking support. Ensuring all refugees and asylum seekers know about core UK employment rights is an important way to: empower those who might be in exploitation to make decisions that are right for them help prevent them from getting into situations of labour exploitation
Refugees and asylum seekers may be in labour situations where their safety is jeopardised or which contravene their basic human rights. Such working conditions may be the only means for some migrants to survive, even if these conditions breach employment and criminal law. There is also a need to carefully balance the possible benefits of taking action against the potential risks.
No one in the UK should be subjected to forced labour. We hope this guide will be useful in helping you to support refugees and individuals who have, or may go on to have, a claim for asylum aected by or at risk of labour exploitation. We welcome feedback on any aspect of the guide for future development.