UK work ban pushes women into modern slavery and sexual exploitation

Across the UK, women fleeing violence, forced marriage, exploitation, and persecution are being retraumatized by the very systems meant to protect them. Instead of receiving support and safety, restrictive immigration policies are forcing women into modern slavery—including coerced sex work and exploitative labor—just to survive.

Exploitation by the UK work ban

A new report by Women for Refugees found 10% of asylum-seeking women in the UK had been forced into sex work. Additionally, nearly 40% of asylum-seeking women entered abusive and exploitative situations due to poverty and dependence. Tragically, a woman reported experiencing homelessness, exploitation, and forced sex work during her asylum journey. She explained in an interview for the report that this was all so she could have a place to sleep.

The UK Home Office’s near-total ban on employment for asylum seekers directly causes these outcomes. Despite fleeing gender-based violence in their home countries, many women cannot work for months or even years while the government processes their asylum claims. In the meantime, they must make do with as little as £8.86 per week in hotels. Nearly half of the women reported being unable to afford sanitary products, and 80% were unable to pay for clothes, transport, or means of communication.

By contrast, asylum seekers in the United States—despite facing numerous systemic barriers—can apply for a work permit after 150 days. This at least provides a legal route to earn an income and avoid total dependence. In the UK, no such pathway exists for most asylum seekers, further compounding their vulnerability.

As stated by Andrea Vukovic, the co-director of Women for Refugee women in The Guardian,

“As troubling as our findings are, it should come as no surprise to policymakers that vulnerable women, when forced into poverty and barred from working to support themselves, are pushed into exploitative and unsafe situations.”

The Guardian also reports that the charity urges the UK government to allow asylum seekers to work while awaiting their claim decision to reduce exploitation risk due to lack of money.

A crisis of structural violence

The problem is not isolated to the UK. A recent report by Georgetown Journal of International Affairs emphasizes that gender-based violence is both a reason for and a consequence of displacement. Migrant women, especially those without legal status, are frequently manipulated, threatened, and sexually exploited by traffickers. As the report notes,

“Threats of violence toward family members or the risk of forced detention are commonly used to manipulate and exploit women, particularly those lacking legal documentation. In many instances, essential resources such as food are withheld unless women offer sex in exchange.”

The abuse stems from the power imbalance between undocumented women and the people who control their fate. These imbalances, compounded by racism, poverty, and lack of legal recourse, create the perfect conditions for modern slavery. “I became like a slave to other people,” said one woman who worked illegally as a cleaner for £1.50 an hour.

The solution is an array of protections

To end this cycle of violence, the solution must go beyond safe migration alone. As advocates state, granting asylum seekers the right to work would significantly reduce their risk of exploitation. But that’s only part of the answer.

We must also address the criminalization of sex work—a key driver of silence and invisibility for those exploited in the industry. When governments criminalize sex work, they create conditions that prevent victims from reporting coercion, trafficking, and abuse. Many fear arrest, deportation, or retaliation—especially undocumented women or those awaiting asylum.

Decriminalizing sex work empowers those who face exploitation or abuse to seek help without fearing legal consequences. It also redirects law enforcement efforts toward prosecuting exploiters instead of punishing the people they harm.

To echo Vukovic, let this report be “a wake-up call for decision-makers to re-examine the needs of women seeking safety.”

Demand that the UK lift the ban and grant people seeking asylum the right to work and live in dignity.