Modern Slavery PEC podcast

Lunchtime seminar: Forced labour import bans

Recording of the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) online event looking at evidence and best practice around forced labour import bans. Presenting: Dr Sofia Gonzalez de Aguinaga from the Bingham centre for the Rule of Law at BIICL, chaired by Owain Johnstone from the Modern Slavery and Human Rights PEC at the University of Oxford. 

Protecting children with special needs from exploitation

Recording of the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) online event looking at how we can better protect children with special needs and disabilities from exploitation. Presented by Prof Anita Franklin, Manchester Metropolitan University and hosted by Jakub Sobik from the Modern Slavery and Human Rights PEC at the University of Oxford.

Ethics in modern slavery research

Recording of the lunchtime seminar: “Ethics in modern slavery research - challenges and the way forward,” organised by the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC).

Dr Wendy Asquith from the University of Liverpool, presents the findings of her project which examined ethical challenges in modern slavery and human trafficking research and explored how inclusive, trauma-informed, and ethically robust practices can enhance both research quality and outcomes for participants.

Prevention of modern slavery

Recording of the lunchtime seminar: “Prevention of modern slavery: how research considers prevention of adult exploitation and trafficking,” organised by the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC).

Dr Liz Such from the University of Nottingham presented the findings from her research which found that prevention of modern slavery remains poorly understood and even more poorly implemented, with most actions focusing on post-exploitation, mainly to support survivors. Dr Such also considered how we could potentially reframe modern slavery prevention and took questions from the audience.

Find the research at the Modern Slavery and Human Rights PEC website at https://www.modernslaverypec.org/resources/prevention-adult-synthesis. 

Framing modern slavery

Framing modern slavery– how to talk about modern slavery to improve its public understanding in the UK. Recording of the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre's (PEC) lunchtime seminar. James Robertson, an Associate at PIRC, presents the findings of the research project commissioned by the Modern Slavery and Human Rights PEC on reframing of modern slavery to increase its public understanding in the UK. He also shares practical tips on what to think about when communicating about modern slavery, including how to get beyond the current dominating narrative of defenceless victims needing to be rescued from evil traffickers, problems with the frame of ‘modern slavery’, the need to talk about specific forms of exploitation, evoking respect and empathy rather than pity towards survivors and the need to be guided by them. Followed by a short Q&A.

How should the new UK Government approach addressing modern slavery?

After fourteen years of the Conservative Government, we have the new Labour Government in place. So, what’s the state of the UK’s response to modern slavery that the new Government is inheriting? What should the new Government do to address modern slavery? What can we realistically expect from the new Government?

 

The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre’s (PEC) has published a policy report, based on available evidence, urging the new Government to incorporate modern slavery prevention into its missions and priorities, for example addressing sponsored visas for agriculture and care sectors, or including modern slavery in the Fair Work Agency and in the homelessness strategy.

 

On this podcast we’re going to discuss this report with my colleague from the PEC, Liz Williams, who is our Head of Policy Impact and is one of the authors of the report.  

 

You can read the report on the PEC’s website at: https://www.modernslaverypec.org/resources/modern-slavery-policy-in-the-uk-priorities-for-the-uk-government.

 

The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) works to transform the effectiveness of laws and policies designed to address modern slavery by funding and producing research on modern slavery with a focus on policy impact. We are part of the Humanities Division at the University of Oxford, and we’re funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Transformative potential of meaningful engagement of lived experience

How can we co-create research to better align with the needs and interests of people with lived experience so that they can lead and direct it? And how can better we involve people with lived experience in the wider work addressing modern slavery?

The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence (Modern Slavery PEC) has published research providing unique insights into the transformative potential of ethically and equitably engaging with people with lived experiences of modern slavery to enhance policies and practices.

The research, led by the University of Liverpool in close collaboration with the Modern Slavery PEC, brought together a team of six consultants from communities affected by modern slavery from four different continents to co-produce six studies to address meaningful inclusion of people with lived experience in addressing issues related to modern slavery and human trafficking in very different contexts.

In this episode of the Modern Slavery PEC podcast we're talking about this research. First, we’re talking with two researchers from the University of Liverpool about the project overall and the co-production that was at the heart of it. Then we're talking with all six regional authors of individual reports about the engagement of lived experience in their contexts.

Read more about the research on the Modern Slavery PEC website at https://modernslaverypec.org/resources/towards-principles-for-equitable-engagement.

Why do modern slavery survivors end up in prisons?

Recording of a Modern Slavery PEC lunchtime seminar, with Dr Marija Jovanovic from the University of Essex talking about the Identification and support of people with lived experience of modern slavery in prisons in the UK.

Modern slavery and the procurement of medical supplies in Malaysia

Modern slavery and the procurement of medical supplies in Malaysia, Prof Alex Hughes, University of Newcastle. Recording of a Modern Slavery PEC lunchtime seminar, a series of events designed to promote modern slavery research in an accessible way to everyone.

Check out the lunchtime seminar series and sign up to the next one on the Modern Slavevry PEC website at https://modernslaverypec.org/latest/lunchtime-seminars-series. 

How to research modern slavery better: improving equality, diversity and inclusion

Recording of the event from 17 July held at St. Mary’s University Twickenham to launch the research that the Modern Slavery PEC commissioned to understand the current challenges around equality, diversity and inclusion in modern slavery research and to develop recommendations to improve it.

It includes a short introduction from the lead researcher in this project Debbie Ariyo from AFRUCA Safeguarding Children, then a bit of background to our thinking behind funding this research from Izzy Templer. Then, Liz Such from Nottingham University presents the findings and recommendations from it.

Next, the Modern Slavery PEC’s Olivia Hesketh briefly presents our updated EDI Action Plan, outlining what we’ve done so far to achieve our aims from the year ago and what we’re still planning to do to make modern slavery research more equitable, diverse and inclusive.

There are also short reflections from some of the members of the research team, Liz Such, Debbie Ariyo; Habiba Aminu from the University of Sheffield and Neena Samota from St. Mary’s University Twickenham), who hosted the event.