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<p>The Government introduced a statutory defence for victims of modern slavery (both
under and over the age of 18), to protect those very vulnerable people who were previously
being unfairly prosecuted for crimes they were forced to commit by their exploiters
– notably cannabis cultivation. We are aware of concerns from the Crown Prosecution
Service (CPS) and the police that the defence is open to abuse from opportunistic
criminals who are not victims, to escape justice for their crimes. That is why my
rt hon Friend the Home Secretary asked the independent review of the Modern Slavery
Act to examine how the statutory defence was working in practice.</p><p> </p><p>The
report of the review was published in May. It found that the defence strikes the correct
balance between protecting genuine victims and preventing misuse from opportunistic
criminals. My rt hon Friend the Home Secretary is considering the review’s findings,
and the Home Office will work closely with the CPS and law enforcement agencies to
take the report’s recommendations forward. A copy of the final report of the Independent
Modern Slavery Act Review can be found via the link below:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-the-modern-slavery-act-final-report"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-the-modern-slavery-act-final-report</a></p><p>
</p><p>To determine how many people who at some point in their lives have been victims
of modern slavery are currently in custody would require a search of individual records
and could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.</p>
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