{"id":212455,"date":"2023-08-21T15:19:10","date_gmt":"2023-08-21T15:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/?p=212455"},"modified":"2023-08-21T15:19:10","modified_gmt":"2023-08-21T15:19:10","slug":"heartless-government-fails-to-fill-two-key-human-rights-watchdog-roles-human-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/heartless-government-fails-to-fill-two-key-human-rights-watchdog-roles-human-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Heartless\u2019 government fails to fill two key human rights watchdog roles | Human rights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Government ministers have \u201cheartlessly\u201d betrayed rape and trafficking victims after failing to fill two key independent watchdog roles designed to defend human rights, campaigners have said.<\/p>\n

Next month, the role of the victims\u2019 commissioner for England and Wales will have been left vacant for a year, at a time when vital legislation is passing through parliament.<\/p>\n

Rishi Sunak has also failed to appoint a new anti-slavery commissioner<\/a> \u2013 a legal requirement for his government \u2013 with critics claiming it is to avoid criticism of controversial policies that risk sending trafficking victims to Rwanda<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cases of suspected trafficking are running at an all-time high<\/a> \u2013 yet the post has remained vacant for nearly a year and a half. Officials admit the failure to appoint an anti-slavery watchdog<\/a> has meant its \u201creduced office\u201d cannot commission research or publish new work on the issue.<\/p>\n

The last victims\u2019 commissioner, Vera Baird, said that it appeared that ministers would rather leave the high-profile positions unfilled than face extra scrutiny.<\/p>\n

Campaigners said the refusal to fill the roles exposed the government\u2019s true attitude to rape and trafficking victims.<\/p>\n

Deniz U\u011fur, deputy director of the End Violence Against Women coalition <\/a>, said: \u201c<\/strong>Despite countless promises to overhaul the criminal justice system for rape survivors and prioritise ending violence against women and girls, the government\u2019s failure to prioritise appointing a victims\u2019 commissioner speaks volumes about its commitment to actually delivering on these promises.\u201cIt is unthinkable that at such a critical time for tackling violence against women and girls, the government has left this vital role vacant for almost a year. This has only heightened the instability survivors face.\u201d<\/p>\n

The news comes as the victims and prisoners bill <\/a>makes its way through parliament, with groups saying the lack of a victims\u2019 commissioner has effectively silenced victims and limited scrutiny of the key legislation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need independent and consistent oversight of the government\u2019s actions against its stated commitments to improve the response to violence against women,\u201d U\u011fur added.<\/p>\n

Baird, a former Labour MP who will chair a new commission to help increase the number of crimes solved if the party wins the next election, said: \u201cThe government seems to have concluded: \u2018Why are we paying for these positions so they can complain about us.\u2019 It has no regard for democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Natasha Tsangarides, associate director of advocacy at Freedom from Torture<\/a>, said it was \u201cstaggering\u201d that the government had left the anti-slavery post unfilled.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cAt the same time it is simultaneously dismantling key safeguards for trafficking survivors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith cases of suspected trafficking at an all-time high, it shows just how deplorable they really are. This is symptomatic of a heartless government that is content to fail victims over and over again. They need to fill this post immediately.\u201dBaird had hoped to be reappointed when her three-year term came to an end in 2022 but was forced to reapply. She stepped down after being told that she had not been successful in the recruitment round, despite officials having judged her to be \u201cappointable\u201d to the position.Sources say Dominic Raab, the former justice secretary, intervened to block her reappointment. In her resignation letter, Baird wrote: \u201cA strong, independent victims\u2019 commissioner has never been more important. The role must not be allowed to lie dormant like the independent anti-slavery commissioner.\u201d<\/p>\n

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