Modern slavery: what the numbers tell us about how survivors are identified.
Wednesday 24 Januaray 2024, 12.30pm.
Dr Patrick Burland, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the UK.
The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the UK’s official system through which survivors of modern slavery are identified and supported. The UK government has made data available about the more than 85,000 referrals to the NRM since 2014. This data is an important source for understanding modern slavery policy, practice and legislation in the UK.
Patrick Burland will present the analysis of the NRM data undertaken by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the UK. The seminar will use NRM data to consider the impacts of the Nationality and Border Act 2022 and Illegal Migration Act 2023 on the outcomes of decision making based on nationality and First Responder Organisation, waiting times for decisions and the disqualification of potential victims. The seminar will also illustrate the vastly longer waiting times for women to receive a Conclusive Grounds decision than men, boys and girls.
Modern Slavery PEC lunchtime seminar series
At the Modern Slavery PEC we believe in widely promoting robust and relevant evidence, in particular with decision-makers who use that evidence to inform their work, leading to better policies and practices. We also believe in the value of new and stronger collaborations in modern slavery research and bringing together different individuals and organisations across the anti-slavery sector to explore new ways in which we can generate innovative solutions to modern slavery.
To pursue those goals, we are starting a series of monthly lunchtime seminars, at which modern slavery researchers can share their latest findings with a diverse audience. The format is deliberately concise: no more than 15 minutes to present, followed by questions and discussion. Each seminar will last no longer than 45 minutes, which we hope will fit nicely into your lunch break!
We’ll be asking researchers who present to explain their findings in plain language that non-experts can easily understand, focusing on the real-world implications of their work and potential for impact on policy or practice, and, above all, on people and communities affected by modern slavery.
To begin with, we will be piloting this format through three seminars, planned for November, December and January – and we welcome feedback as we go.
We will update this page as we confirm speakers and topics, so keep checking in for more information. We’ll also advertise each seminar in the Modern Slavery PEC newsletter – sign up so you don’t miss out. The seminars are open to anyone to join – you don’t have to be a researcher yourself. We encourage everyone interested to come along, join the discussion and hopefully make new connections.
For those who can't make it, we will record the presentations (without the Q&A part to protect the freedom of the conversations) and publish them on our YouTube channel and as short podcasts.
Past seminars
Wednesday 6 December 2023, 12-12.45pm.
Dr Marija Jovanovic, the University of Essex: Identification and support of people with lived experience of modern slavery in UK prisons.
Wednesday 1 November 2023, 1pm-1.45pm.
Prof Alex Hughes, University of Newcastle: Modern slavery and the procurement of medical supplies in Malaysia.
