December 3, 2023
2 mins read

Report Claims UK Ex-Home Secretaries Denied Rights to Trafficking Victims

Priti Patel and Suella Braverman were accused of unlawfully failing to issue these decisions, that left the victims unable to access the right to work, study or claim mainstream benefits…reports Asian Lite News

British Indian former Home Secretaries of the UK have been accused of operating a secret policy to deny 1,600 victims of trafficking their right to live in the country, according to a media report.

The alleged action by the Home Office came despite a November 2021 high court ruling, which mandated that confirmed trafficking victims awaiting asylum decisions should be granted discretionary leave, the Guardian reported.

At a hearing this week, Priti Patel and Suella Braverman were accused of unlawfully failing to issue these decisions, that left the victims unable to access the right to work, study or claim mainstream benefits.

The report mentioned a 22-year-old trafficking victim, represented by the charity Asylum Aid, who escaped drug traffickers in Albania when he was 16.

The traffickers forced him to sell drugs and were threatened to harm him, his family for refusing to comply.

But as a result of the secret policy, he was denied leave to remain for almost 18 months, his lawyers claimed.

In response the counsel for the Home Secretary argued that they had simply been waiting for the outcome of appeals to the court of appeal and supreme court against the landmark November 2021 ruling before acting.

“This case is about delay. It is not a case about secret or unpublished policies,” Cathryn McGahey, representing the home secretary, told the court.

According to The Guardian, internal Home Office documents relating to the case showed officials recommended that the decision of granting leave to remain should be put “on hold”.

A July 2022 email from a Home Office official stated: “All discretionary leave decisions affected by (the November 2021 ruling) currently remain on hold.”

“Our consolidated view is that is not an option we can recommend to ministers. We continue to see judicial reviews lodged on grounds linked to the delay in implementing the … judgment,” an official from Braverman’s office said after being questioned about whether “doing nothing” was an option.

Counsel for the 22-year-old victim told the court this week that it is “unlawful to operate an unpublished policy which is inconsistent with a public policy.”

ALSO READ: UK Flies Over Middle East to Locate Hamas Hostages

Previous Story

BJP poised to sweep in Madhya Pradesh

Next Story

Big Upsets in Rajasthan

Latest from -Top News

India Builds Bridges at G20

Union Minister Jitin Prasada attended the meeting and held bilateral talks with counterparts from member nations….reports Asian Lite News India held talks with several nations on strengthening trade and technology ties, focusing

Balochistan Bleeds Again

Leading rights groups have accused Pakistani forces of abducting several Baloch civilians amid a surge in disappearances, killings, and torture across the province….reports Asian Lite News Leading human rights organisations have alleged

Trade War Back On?

Alongside with Tariff, Trump has also rolled out new export controls on critical software….reports Asian Lite News After a period of relative calm, with four major rounds of trade negotiations between the

Guterres Joins Gaza Talks in Egypt

The Egyptian Presidency announced that the summit will be held in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to finalize an agreement …reports Asian Lite News UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

Pentagon Told: Pay the Troops

The US federal government entered a shutdown on October 1, marking the first shutdown in nearly seven years. …reports Asian Lite News US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he
Go toTop

Don't Miss

India withdraws Covid curbs on visiting Britons

Earlier this month, India had said that all British nationals

MPs demand answers over spy agencies’ deal with Amazon

“The government must – urgently – update parliament on the