In 2012, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme was amended to make it explicit that it could be accessed by victims of trafficking and modern slavery, who have suffered physical or mental injury as a result of their experiences.
However, other than updating the residence criteria, guidance was not given to decision makers. As a result, applications for victims of trafficking can often be wrongfully refused, as the applicant’s status as a victim of trafficking and how this might impact on the scheme rules is not taken into account.
Our CICA toolkit is designed to assist those working with survivors to prepare and submit an initial application to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) and improve outcomes for survivors of trafficking.