Long Term Support for Survivors of Modern Slavery: The Importance of Modern Slavery Champions Within Organisations

The Wilberforce Institute, University of Hull in collaboration with the Humber Modern Slavery Partnership and national partners invite you to our upcoming free one-day conference ‘Long Term Support for Survivors of Modern Slavery – The Importance of Modern Slavery Champions Within Organisations’.

The Global Slavery Index estimates there are 40.3 million people trapped in some form of slavery around the globe today. In the UK, 12,727 people were officially identified as potential victims of modern slavery in 2021. Slavery and trafficking are crimes punishable by severe penalties, yet the problem remains and is growing.

Providing long term support to victims and survivors of slavery and trafficking is vital in helping people make lasting and meaningful recoveries, to avoid further trauma and re-exploitation, and in some cases support prosecutions against their exploiters. Access to support services for victims of slavery and trafficking in the UK is provided through the National Referral Mechanism. People who are referred into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) are entitled to a range of support services such as accommodation, financial assistance, counselling, or help accessing legal advice. However, research shows us that there is a distinct lack of understanding of what support people need once they have exited this provision or indeed why they sometimes chose to decline any offer of support in the first place.

This one-day conference at the Aura Innovation Centre brings together new empirical research findings by leading academics, stories from survivors, and experts working in policing and victim support to explore and discuss the importance of having skilled professionals in key positions within organisations who can work with victims to improve their long-term outcomes.

Over the course of the day, you will hear from expert academic and professional speakers on their research findings and the real-world strategies they use to engage and safeguard victims, with a focus on agency and identity.

You will take part in interactive workshops, working with colleagues to discuss and develop new approaches you can apply in your own organisation. The day will end with a panel session giving you an opportunity to pose questions to our speakers.

Register to attend now

Professor Simon Green and Dr Nicola O’Leary, University of Hull – Reclaiming the Narrative: Victims reframing victimology. Empirical research findings

Simon Green is Professor of Criminology & Victimology at the University of Hull in the UK. His research is about victims, resilience, human trafficking, and exploitation. He is chair of the EU-funded network of victimologists across Europe (COST Action 18121: Cultures of Victimology: understanding processes of victimisation across Europe) and is working with UK police and The Salvation Army to develop trauma-informed approaches to the victims of sexual violence, human trafficking, and criminal exploitation.

His most recent publications are:  Green et. al. (2021) A New Approach for Researching Victims: The ‘Strength-Growth-Resilience’ Framework (British Journal of Criminology) and Green et. al (2021) Circles of Analysis: a systemic model of child criminal exploitation (Journal of Children’s Services).

DC Colin Ward, Modern Slavery Unit, Manchester Police – Safeguarding victims in policing

Colin Green is a Detective Constable in the modern slavery coordination unit, Operation Challenger, Greater Manchester Police. Colin has been a serving police officer since 1993 and has specialised in human trafficking and slavery since 2006. Colin developed and established the Greater Manchester Police modern slavery victim liaison officer and modern slavery tactical advisor/investigator course and subsequent roles which are now considered best practice and being replicated in police forces across the UK. Colin has vast national experience after spending two years seconded to the national police chief’s council modern slavery police transformation unit as their victim advocacy and support specialist.

Richard Eastwood, Justice and Care, embedded in Essex Police – The role of victim navigators

Major Kathy Betteridge, Director Anti Trafficking & Modern Slavery, The Salvation Army – ‘We are not for sale’, the role of the Salvation Army

Jen Nghishitende, University of Hull, PHD research – “Freedom is a constant struggle”: Women’s journeys after modern slavery in the United Kingdom

Professor Trevor Burnard, University of Hull

Trevor Burnard is Director of the Wilberforce Institute and Wilberforce Professor of Slavery and Emancipation at the University of Hull. He is the author of Expanding Empire: A Field Report into Early American History (2023); Jamaica in the Age of Revolution (2020) and The Plantation Machine (2016). He is a member of the Senior Management Board of the Modern Slavery Policy and Evidence Centre.

Andrew Smith, University of Hull

Andrew Smith is the manager of the new ACTion to Combat Modern Slavery Justice Hub and coordinator of the Humber Modern Slavery Partnership, a post funded by the police and crime commissioner for Humberside and hosted at the Wilberforce Institute.

Andrew is responsible for coordinating Anti-Slavery efforts across all four local authority areas in Humberside to develop a response to modern slavery that not only disrupts and discourages the exploitation of people, but that fully supports those who are exploited, brings perpetrators to justice, and helps build more resilient communities. Andrew works with a broad range of statutory and non-statutory organisations as well as the third sector and our local communities to make Humberside a safer place and improve access to justice for adults and children.

The ACTion to Combat Modern Slavery Justice Hub is a Wilberforce Institute and University of Hull Alumni funded project that seeks to combat modern slavery by using research and knowledge exchange to engage and empower people to create a culture of change for good.