British woman repeatedly trafficked for sex after Home Office failures (The Guardian) (18 February 2020)

A high court judge has been forced to compel the Home Office to house a vulnerable British sex trafficking victim who had been re-trafficked by county lines drugs gangs on numerous occasions and was about to become street homeless after the Home Office failed to fulfil its legal obligation to provide her with safe accommodation. Public law solicitor Rachael Davis, who is representing the victim comments; “The failure to provide our client with the specialist support and accommodation to which she was legally entitled has had devastating consequences, including her having been repeatedly re-trafficked, sexually assaulted and financially exploited. Our client was recognised as a victim of modern slavery as long ago as June 2019, yet she was not provided with a safe place to live until January 2020 – and only once we had obtained a court order compelling the secretary of state for the home department to do so. It is wholly unacceptable to refuse to provide specialist support and accommodation to a victim of modern slavery because their needs are too complex. Ultimately these are the people who need it the most.”