The victims of ‘unknown exploitation’ hiding within the UK National Referral Mechanism Format By: Patrick Burland, Senior Project Officer at IOM UK Potential victims of human trafficking are falling through the cracks of the UK’s National Referral Mechanism. The reason may hinge on how exploitation is understood and recorded. The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the primary instrument established by the government of the United Kingdom for identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking. It has been in operation for over a decade now, and a great deal of energy has been expended trying to improve its design and operation. Despite these ongoing efforts various problems continue to be documented, including repeated failures to refer potential victims and a lack of effective support for victims who have been identified.