Ditching the Human Rights Act will harm survivors 

Hope for Justice has published a briefing strongly opposing the UK government's proposed Bill of Rights, with which it wants to replace the Human Rights Act (HRA).   

The briefing was penned jointly with dozens of civil society organisations working within the field of human trafficking and child exploitation.   

The briefing outlines our shared fear that in scrapping the existing bill, the rights which are safeguarded and protected by the bill will also be scrapped. Where the HRA confers universal rights to all UK residents – rights that are based on the European Convention of Human Rights – the Bill of Rights will confer governmentally sanctioned rights, removing the legal responsibility that the government must uphold them. This will affect us all, but it will affect vulnerable and marginalised groups the most, including survivors of slavery and human trafficking, by dismantling preventative frameworks and diminishing their overall access to justice.   

The briefing has been published as the Bill of Rights is having its second reading in the House of Commons. This is an early stage in its “passage” through to final legislation; the briefing serves as an early call to government action. The HRA has served as a reassurance of rights to a range of people and has been key to the development of the UK's anti-trafficking and modern slavery framework. In uniting with our peers within the field of human trafficking and modern slavery prevention, we urge the government to reject the bill and support our existing human rights protections.   

The briefing can be read in full via the following link: Bill of Rights Briefing