Case N.CZ01 : No compensation awarded regardless criminal proceeding

A man from the Czech Republic was trafficked to the UK under false job promises. Upon arrival, the employer confiscated his identity documents, assaulted him and forced him to work 12-16 hours per day cleaning buses, houses and offices. The man was dependent on the employer for food and accommodation.

He was paid randomly and very little. He lived under these conditions for about three years. Then he escaped by deliberately provoking an accident, and reported his situation to the police.

He received legal and psychological support from a NGO and participated as an injured party in criminal proceedings for human trafficking. He received state-funded legal representation and pursued a compensation claim within the criminal proceedings. This route was chosen to enable the victim to deal with everything in one procedure and to protect him from re-victimization.

However, compensation was not awarded and the matter was referred to civil proceedings, which meant that the claimant had to decide whether to initiate a civil claim.