Imagine a life where your life experiences were so severe, that all you would do was block things out to protect yourself from going back to them, just to stay safe and able to function. The Rwanda policy, which is currently being debated in Parliament, is extremely challenging to me, and I think it may be challenging to other survivors of modern slavery.
My story started at just 13 years old. Child Sexual Exploitation – CSE – a form of modern slavery. Three letters that changed my whole life. It's something you'll read about in the papers or even hear in the news, but it hits differently when the perspective you have is from what happened to you.
There is no apology from anyone that could ever undo the damage that modern slavery and human trafficking have had on an individual. Trauma can take years to get over, let alone heal.
The so-called Rwanda policy is designed to remove people who seek asylum after entering the UK without legal permission to Rwanda. Amongst people impacted by the policy, are survivors of modern slavery who entered the country irregularly, even if they were forced to do so by their traffickers.
Now imagine, having been trafficked into the country and exploited in modern slavery, how difficult it is to know that the support you could have received was waived by the very people you thought could help you, and instead you were to be detained and sent away to an unknown land.
I can only draw the conclusion that the Rwanda scheme is insensitive, immoral, and unwise. The Government fail to see the implications and risk of re-traumatisation that the Rwanda plan – which could go ahead if the Safety of Rwanda Bill passes – poses for victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.
"I can only draw the conclusion that the Rwanda scheme is insensitive, immoral, and unwise."
We can all resonate with the hassle and stress that accompany any move, whether it be from one home, office, city, or country to another. Now imagine having no control over where you are going, when you are going, who you will be going with and what will happen when you get to this place.
Victims of human trafficking are often transported with little to no say and the question I pose is what makes the Rwanda Bill any different?
I remember feeling heartbroken and distraught when I was told that a decision had been made for me to be moved to a refuge in a completely different city, away from everything I was once familiar with. I share this with the privilege of growing up in the UK, having the ability to both speak and understand English, and having access to support and health services, some of which the people who are trafficked to the UK from overseas may not be able to access, and this is without considering the extent of their own individual experiences.
The mental and emotional implications on the survivors subject to the Rwanda Bill alone should be enough to raise concerns. It is extremely unsettling that there are concerns surrounding the safeguards currently in place in Rwanda for people with experiences of modern slavery.
What message are we putting across here? That the transportation to another country against a person’s will is justifiable if orchestrated by the Government, but is to be condemned when carried out by traffickers?
The re-traumatisation of survivors that removal to Rwanda is likely to inflict on them is not something you can easily repeal.
What message are we putting across here? That the transportation to another country against a person’s will is justifiable if orchestrated by the Government, but is to be condemned when carried out by traffickers?
Unfortunately, I think that removing modern slavery survivors to Rwanda will add to the feeling of deprivation of agency that people may already be experiencing. I also think that it increases the risk of further exploitation and trafficking, as people will be placed in an unknown environment, and as they try to find their way out of that situation.
I think that all this will be viewed as a deterrent by people experiencing modern slavery from coming forward to authorities and making it more difficult to hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions.
Human trafficking is a harrowing issue that is affecting thousands of people. The solution is not to shift some survivors from one place to another, but to better understand and tackle the factors contributing to not only the vulnerabilities but exploitation that people with lived experience face.
I believe the Government and Parliament need to reconsider the Rwanda Bill and listen to the voices of people with experiences of trafficking and exploitation about the impact this policy would have on them.
