The Rwanda Treaty and Bill and the UK’s legal obligations towards

Executive Summary This report analyses the provisions of the UK - Rwanda Treaty 2023 and the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill in light of the UK’s international obligations towards victims of modern slavery and human trafficking (MSHT) contained in Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights 1950 (ECHR) (prohibition of slavery and forced labour) and the Council of Europe Con. [...] The Rwanda Treaty and the Human Rights Memorandum accompanying the Safety of Rwanda Bill fail to acknowledge the risk of violating this obligation and the need to instruct decision- makers to assess the risk of re-trafficking of presumed or confirmed victims of modern slavery or human trafficking. [...] Despite the fact that the Rwanda Treaty expressly envisages the removal to Rwanda of victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, including people who have received a reasonable grounds decision from the NRM, the explanatory material accompanying the Treaty and the Safety of Rwanda Bill devote little attention to the international legal obligations that govern the protection of victims of MSHT. [...] The Rwanda Treaty and the Human Rights Memorandum accompanying the Safety of Rwanda Bill fail to acknowledge the risk of violating this obligation and the need to instruct decision-makers to assess the risk of re-trafficking of presumed or confirmed victims of MSHT. [...] 12 The Rwanda Treaty and Bill and the UK’s legal obligations towards victims of modern slavery and human trafficking Despite the clarity of what Article 4 ECHR requires, none of the instruments that enable removals of suspected or confirmed victims of MSHT, notably the IMA, the Rwanda Treaty, and the Safety of Rwanda Bill, nor the Human Rights Memorandum accompanying the Bill, refer to this assess.