Annex: key drivers of NRM referrals and DtN reports for potential victims of modern slavery
Published 7 March 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/modern-slavery-nrm-and-dtn-statistics-end-of-year-summary-2023/annex-key-drivers-of-nrm-referrals-and-dtn-reports-for-potential-victims-of-modern-slavery
2023 was a record year for the number of referrals to both the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and Duty to Notify (DtN) process. Overall, NRM referrals increased slightly from 16,921 in the previous year to reach 17,004, whilst DtN reports rose 8% from 4,580 to reach 4,929. A summary of the annual statistics can be found in the main bulletin, while this annex takes a more detailed look into the drivers of the change in referral trends between 2022 and 2023.
1. National Referral Mechanism
1.1 Nationality
The top 5 nationalities remained the same but changed order in 2023 compared to the previous year. UK nationals were most commonly referred (25%; 4,299), registering no change in proportion despite a 3% increase in volume. Albanian nationals fell from being the most referred nationality in 2022 (27%; 4,609) to second most in 2023 (24%; 4,052) with a fall in both proportion and volume. Vietnamese nationals saw a rise, jumping from fifth place in 2022 to third place in 2023, to account for 6% (991) of referrals. By contrast, Eritrean nationals fell from third place in 2022 to fifth place in 2023 after a 23% fall in volume, to account for 5% (898) of referrals. Sudanese nationals remained the fourth most referred nationality (6%; 940), with the volume of referrals for this nationality increasing by 11% compared to the previous year (table 1).
Table 1: NRM referrals received from the 5 most common nationalities in 2023 compared to 2022 figures
| Nationality | Vol (2022) | % (2022) | Vol (2023) | % (2023) | Vol percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 4172 | 25% | 4299 | 25% | 3% |
| Albanian | 4609 | 27% | 4052 | 24% | -12% |
| Vietnamese | 766 | 5% | 991 | 6% | 29% |
| Sudanese | 850 | 5% | 940 | 6% | 11% |
| Eritrean | 1172 | 7% | 898 | 5% | -23% |
Source: SCA, IECA
Notes:
- Does not include dual nationals.
UK
While UK nationals overtook Albanian nationals as most referred in 2023, there was only a small increase (3%) in referrals for this nationality between 2022 to 2023. This was driven by a 7% increase in the volume of referrals for females, from 948 to 1,013, who reached their highest proportion (24%; 1,013) since 2019. The increase in referrals for females was split across multiple exploitation types. In contrast for males, there was a smaller increase in the number of referrals by 2% from 3,217 in 2022 to 3,280 in 2023. For adult potential victims, there was a 12% increase in the number of referrals from 770 to 860, and whilst the number of child potential victims was similar to the previous year, they remain most common for UK nationals (78%; 3,350).
Albanian
The fall in referrals for Albanian nationals in 2023 was driven by the 16% fall in males from 4,107 to 3,463, whereas the number of females increased by 17% from 502 to 588. More specifically, the number of male Albanian referrals reporting labour exploitation fell by 37% from 1,630 in 2022 to 1,019 in 2023. The rise in the number of referrals for females was primarily from those reporting joint sexual and labour exploitation, which more than doubled from 44 in 2022 to 93 in 2023. The number of adult potential victims referred fell by 14% from the previous year while the number of child potential victims increased by 11%. Despite this, adults continue to account for the majority (78%; 3,147) of referrals.
Vietnamese
The large increase in referrals from Vietnamese nationals was driven by the increase in females which more than doubled from 143 in 2022 to 300 in 2023. The number of male Vietnamese nationals also increased but at a lower rate (11%) than females. Most notably, referrals for females for labour exploitation and sexual exploitation saw large increases from the previous year (by 213% and 114% respectively). Both adult and child potential victims increased (by 21% and 44% respectively) from the previous year, with adults continuing to account for the majority (61%; 601) of referrals.
Sudanese
Overall, the proportion of male Sudanese nationals increased by 10%, continuing to account for the majority of the referrals for this nationality (97%; 916) compared to females (2%; 23). The increase in Sudanese nationals was driven by a 9% rise in those reporting labour exploitation from 706 in 2022 to 772 in 2023. More specifically, the number of male adults claiming labour exploitation increased by 37% from 254 in 2022 to 348 in 2023. Overall for referrals for Sudanese nationals, there was an increase in adult potential victims by 42% from 285 to 405, but a small decrease in the number of child potential victims by 2% from 496 to 486.
Eritrean
The fall in the referrals from Eritrean nationals in 2023 was driven by the drop in the number of referrals for males, which fell by 26% from 901 in 2022 to 664 in 2023. More specifically, the number of male adults claiming labour exploitation fell by 33%, from 454 in 2022 to 302 in 2023. While the number of referrals for females fell by 14% from 271 in 2022 to 234 in 2023, the proportion who were female (26%) was at its highest level since 2017. Part of the decrease in referrals for Eritrean females was from adult potential victims, which fell by 11% from 142 to 126.
1.2 Location of exploitation
As shown in section 3.2 of the main bulletin, there were increases in individuals reporting exploitation solely in the UK, as well as a combination of overseas and UK exploitation, both of which drove referrals in 2023. Exploitation exclusively in the UK saw the largest increase in volume, with a rise of 5% from 8,010 in 2022 to 8,377 in 2023, making up 49% of referrals in the latest year. Exploitation reported both in the UK and overseas saw the largest increase in proportion, which rose by 14% to from 2,152 in 2022 to 2,464 in 2023 to make up 14% of referrals. Only exploitation based exclusively overseas saw a decrease, with the volume of referrals falling by 9% to from 6,759 in 2022 to 6,163 in 2023 and the proportion falling to 36% (table 2).
Table 2: NRM referrals by reported location of exploitation in 2023 compared to 2022 figures
| Location of exploitation | Vol (2022) | % (2022) | Vol (2023) | % (2023) | Vol percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overseas | 6759 | 40% | 6163 | 36% | -9% |
| Criminal | 332 | 2% | 300 | 2% | -10% |
| Labour | 3435 | 20% | 3030 | 18% | -12% |
| Labour and criminal | 539 | 3% | 467 | 3% | -13% |
| Sexual | 792 | 5% | 762 | 4% | -4% |
| Other types | 744 | 4% | 864 | 5% | 16% |
| Not specified or unknown | 917 | 5% | 740 | 4% | -19% |
| UK | 8010 | 47% | 8377 | 49% | 5% |
| Criminal | 4048 | 24% | 4142 | 24% | 2% |
| Labour | 1138 | 7% | 1029 | 6% | -10% |
| Labour and criminal | 978 | 6% | 1035 | 6% | 6% |
| Sexual | 653 | 4% | 714 | 4% | 9% |
| Other types | 667 | 4% | 754 | 4% | 13% |
| Not specified or unknown | 526 | 3% | 703 | 4% | 34% |
| UK and overseas | 2152 | 13% | 2464 | 14% | 14% |
| Criminal | 282 | 2% | 273 | 2% | -3% |
| Labour | 561 | 3% | 593 | 3% | 6% |
| Labour and criminal | 442 | 3% | 513 | 3% | 16% |
| Sexual | 199 | 1% | 203 | 1% | 2% |
| Other types | 346 | 2% | 488 | 3% | 41% |
| Not specified or unknown | 322 | 2% | 394 | 2% | 22% |
Source: SCA, IECA
Notes:
- ‘Other types’ includes less commonly reported exploitation types and combinations.
UK and overseas
Exploitation reported both in the UK and overseas increased by 14% to 2,464 in 2023, with growth across the board for both adults and children. An increase in the number of referrals claiming joint labour and criminal exploitation was a key driver, with reports of this exploitation type increasing by 16% from 442 to 513 in 2023.
UK
Although at a comparatively lower rate, referrals which reported exclusively UK-based exploitation increased from the previous year by 5% to 8,377. Driving this was the number of referrals citing sexual exploitation, which increased by 9% from 653 in 2022 to 714 in 2023, primarily from adult females which increased by 39% from 141 to 196.
Another driver of UK-based exploitation was those reporting joint labour and criminal exploitation, which rose 6% from 978 in 2022 to 1,035 in 2023. This type of exploitation saw an increase primarily from adult males which rose by 6% from 627 to 666.
Overseas
The fall in referrals reporting exploitation which occurred exclusively overseas was driven by a reduction in those reporting labour exploitation (by 12% to 3,030), and criminal exploitation (by 10% to 300). The number claiming joint criminal and labour exploitation fell by 13% to 467. While male adults remain most common for those reporting overseas exploitation exclusively, referrals for this group fell by 19%, from 3,189 in 2022 to 2,589 in 2023. Comparatively, the number of referrals from adult females reporting overseas exploitation increased by 9%, from 875 in 2022 to 956 in 2023.
1.3 First responders
As outlined in section 3.6 of the main bulletin, referrals from local authorities and police forces increased, while referrals from government agencies and NGO and third sector organisations decreased. This section focuses on first responder types with the largest changes this year, which were referrals from local authorities and NGO and third sector organisations.
The largest increase came from local authorities, who registered an 8% increase from 3,666 referrals in 2022 to 3,944 in 2023. Both adult and child referrals from local authorities increased (by 16% and 7% respectively), with child referrals (91%; 3,602) continuing to account for the majority. Similarly, both the number of referrals for females and males from local authorities increased (by 10% and 7% respectively).
Referrals from NGO and third sector organisations fell by 15% from 1,034 in 2022 to 876 in 2023, which was primarily driven by the decrease in males, with falls for adults by 18% to 389 and children by 26% to 136. Notable decreases in referrals for males from this first responder type were from those reporting criminal (by 29%) and labour (by 20%) exploitation. There was also a smaller reduction in referrals from females, by 6% from 347 in 2022 to 326 in 2023.
Table 3: NRM referrals received by first responder type in 2023 compared to 2022 figures
| First responder type | Vol (2022) | % (2022) | Vol (2023) | % (2023) | Vol percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government Agency | 8334 | 49% | 8242 | 48% | -1% |
| Adult (18 or over) | 5711 | 34% | 5574 | 33% | -2% |
| Child (17 or under) | 1837 | 11% | 2030 | 12% | 11% |
| Not specified or unknown | 786 | 5% | 638 | 4% | -19% |
| Local Authority | 3666 | 22% | 3944 | 23% | 8% |
| Adult (18 or over) | 238 | 1% | 277 | 2% | 16% |
| Child (17 or under) | 3374 | 20% | 3602 | 21% | 7% |
| Not specified or unknown | 54 | 0% | 65 | 0% | 20% |
| NGO and Third Sector | 1034 | 6% | 876 | 5% | -15% |
| Adult (18 or over) | 725 | 4% | 639 | 4% | -12% |
| Child (17 or under) | 266 | 2% | 203 | 1% | -24% |
| Not specified or unknown | 43 | 0% | 34 | 0% | -21% |
| Police | 3882 | 23% | 3933 | 23% | 1% |
| Adult (18 or over) | 2174 | 13% | 2131 | 13% | -2% |
| Child (17 or under) | 1522 | 9% | 1589 | 9% | 4% |
| Not specified or unknown | 186 | 1% | 213 | 1% | 15% |
Source: SCA, IECA
Notes:
- Does not include referrals where first responder type was not specified or unknown.
2. Duty to Notify
2.1 Nationality
The 5 nationalities with the most reports from the DtN process in 2023 share some similarities with the list from 2022. DtN reports were most commonly sent for Albanian nationals this year (the second most notified nationality in 2022), though their numbers fell from 806 to 764 in 2023. Falling from first to second most reported were Eritrean nationals, with a reduction of 38% from 2022 to 580. Sudanese nationals moved from the fourth most reported in 2022 to third in 2023, with their number growing by 52% to 538. UK nationals fell to the fourth most reported in 2023, although the number of reports remained largely unchanged from the previous year. DtN reports from Chinese nationals increased by 40% to 326 in 2023 to become the fifth most reported nationality (table 4).
Table 4: DtN reports received from the five most common nationalities in 2023 compared to 2022 figures
| Nationality | Vol (2022) | % (2022) | Vol (2023) | % (2023) | Vol percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albanian | 806 | 18% | 764 | 16% | -5% |
| Eritrean | 928 | 20% | 580 | 12% | -38% |
| Sudanese | 355 | 8% | 538 | 11% | 52% |
| UK | 394 | 9% | 393 | 8% | 0% |
| Chinese | 233 | 5% | 326 | 7% | 40% |
Source: SCA
Notes:
- Does not include dual nationals.
Albanian
Disaggregating the most reported nationality in 2023, there was a fall in the number of female Albanians by 23% from 154 in 2022 to 119 in 2023. This was driven by those citing sexual exploitation, which fell by 26% from 112 in 2022 to 83 in 2023. Albanian males were again the most reported (84%; 645), although the volume in 2023 remained largely unchanged from the previous year.
Eritrean
The second most common nationality in 2023, Eritrean nationals, saw falls in the number of both male and female reports in 2023. Male reports saw the largest decrease, falling by 40% from 752 in 2022 to 450 in 2023, which was driven by the fall in the number reporting labour exploitation (by 38% from 520 in 2022 to 324 in 2023) and exploitation that was unknown or not recorded (by 44% from 198 to 110). Reports for Eritrean females fell by 26% from 176 to 130, with similar decreases in the number citing labour exploitation (by 27%) and exploitation that was not recorded or unknown (by 42%).
Sudanese
Sudanese nationals saw a large increase in male reports to the DtN in 2023 by 51% from 353 to 533. As with the previous year, almost all (99%) of the reports in 2023 for Sudanese nationals were for males. The growth in male Sudanese nationals was predominately for labour exploitation, increasing by 48%, from 308 in 2022 to 456 in 2023.
UK
While the overall number of UK nationals reports to the DtN only decreased by one, reports from female UK nationals increased by 17%, from 129 in 2022 to 151 in 2023. A key driver in the increase in the number for female UK nationals was the reporting of sexual exploitation, which increased by 93% from 30 to 58. The number for males fell by 9%, from 265 in 2022 to 241 in 2023, with the number reporting criminal exploitation falling by 15% to 157.
Chinese
Chinese nationals, which accounted for the fifth most DtN reports sent in 2023, experienced a 40% increase in reports from 233 in 2022 to 326 in 2023. The number of reports from Chinese males more than doubled, from 50 in 2022 to 104 in 2023. More specifically, the number of males reporting labour exploitation increased by 56% to 61, and exploitation that was not recorded or unknown increased from 4 to 27 in 2023. Reports from Chinese females increased by 21% to 222, with reports for sexual exploitation growing by 24% to 128.
2.2 First responders
There were increases in DtN reports from government agencies in 2023, whereas those from police, local authorities and NGO and third sector organisations were similar to the volumes of 2022.
Government agencies drove the overall rise in DtN notifications, which accounted for 70% (3,429) of all reports received in 2023, a slightly higher proportion (68%; 3,119) than in 2022 (table 5). The number of males reported by this first responder type increased by 9% from 2,365 to 2,570, while those for females saw a greater proportional rise by 14% from 751 to 857. More specifically, reports for females who cited labour exploitation rose by 18% to 154.
Table 5: DtN reports received by first responder type in 2023 compared to 2022 figures
| First responder | Vol (2022) | % (2022) | Vol (2023) | (% 2023) | Vol percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government Agency | 3119 | 68% | 3429 | 70% | 10% |
| Female | 751 | 16% | 857 | 17% | 14% |
| Male | 2365 | 52% | 2570 | 52% | 9% |
| Other | 1 | 0% | 2 | 0% | 100% |
| Not specified or unknown | 2 | 0% | 0 | 0% | -100% |
| Local Authority | 204 | 4% | 211 | 4% | 3% |
| Female | 105 | 2% | 106 | 2% | 1% |
| Male | 98 | 2% | 105 | 2% | 7% |
| Other | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0% | -100% |
| NGO and Third Sector | 4 | 0% | 7 | 0% | 75% |
| Female | 3 | 0% | 2 | 0% | -33% |
| Male | 1 | 0% | 5 | 0% | 400% |
| Police | 1253 | 27% | 1279 | 26% | 2% |
| Female | 575 | 13% | 602 | 12% | 5% |
| Male | 674 | 15% | 674 | 14% | 0% |
| Other | 0 | 0% | 2 | 0% | n/a |
| Not specified or unknown | 4 | 0% | 1 | 0% | -75% |
Source: SCA
Notes:
- Does not include referrals where first responder type was not specified or unknown.