Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information is provided to trafficking victims on their rights to compensation; and how many victims of trafficking have had applications for compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority rejected in each of the last three years.

Potential victims of trafficking are provided support and assistance by the Salvation Army during their recovery and reflection period, including advice on their rights to compensation. This includes providing the information leaflet developed specifically for victims of trafficking by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). The Modern Slavery Bill will also introduce reparation orders, specifically for victims of modern slavery crimes, recognising the particular harm and psychological abuse they suffer. This will ensure that where a convicted slave master has benefitted financially from the abuse of others they will be required to provide reparation to their victims.

With reference to the number of compensation applications rejected by CICA, the Government does not hold the information requested. Compensation for victims of violent crime is based on the injuries people sustain not the particular crimes of which they were a victim. The injuries for which CICA can compensate, and therefore provide reliable figures for, are set out in the Tariff of Injuries in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012, but the Tariff does not contain any injuries specific to human trafficking. The injuries are also only recorded once CICA have assessed someone as eligible to receive the compensation payable for that injury.