Policy & Research

Labour migration is a key driver of the growth in international migration flows. While migrant workers contribute to the economic development of both their origin and host societies, the characteristics of labour migrants, the predominance of temporary migration cycles and the prevalence of fraudulent practices in the overseas labour recruitment…

Climate change and armed conflict are becoming increasingly important drivers of internal displacement and cross-national migratory flows. Individuals displaced due to environmental disasters and conflict lack family and community networks in their new destinations, have limited opportunities for employment and income generation, and limited access to legal and labour protection.

This paper calls for new momentum in the fight against modern slavery happening in communities across Britain. Building on earlier research by the Modern Slavery Policy Unit, the paper urges the Government to introduce the proposed new modern slavery bill and recommends four areas to strengthen the modern slavery system…

Large-scale migration is one of the key global economic, political and security challenges of the twenty-first century, with migrants and displaced persons reaching unprecedented levels in recent years. While the role of push and pull factors is well recognised, the underlying characteristics that render migrants vulnerable to modern slavery victimisation are…

Although the drivers and consequences of forced marriage are correlated with those of modern slavery, there is little consensus regarding whether and to what extent the two phenomena intersect.

The globalisation of supply chains has contributed to a deterioration of labour standards worldwide, exacerbating workers’ vulnerability to modern slavery and human trafficking. Governments, private actors and worker organisations have adopted a variety of approaches aimed at tackling modern slavery in supply chains. However, available evidence on their effectiveness is still scarce, and our understanding of “what works” remains limited.

This report builds on the Modern Slavery Policy Unit’s 2020 report It Still Happens Here which explored the progress that has been made in the UK’s response, five years on from the Modern Slavery Act, but also identifies the key challenges faced by frontline professionals who are working to fulfil their…

This Issue Brief explores the opportunities that the digital revolution has created to more effectively, and efficiently combat human trafficking, and – importantly – to respond to the increasing use of technologies by traffickers in the advertisement, recruitment and exploitation of victims. It examines the opportunities created by the digital trail left by traffickers, and considers the key technological, legal and financial challenges that need to be addressed in order to fully harness these opportunities.

This report explores the shared experiences of the victims of these hidden crimes, to understand and compare the support available and the impact of immigration status and having no recourse to public funds, on recovery and the pursuit of justice. Our paper outlines how enabling these victims to access support,…

This Issue Brief examines the effectiveness of awareness-raising campaigns – moving beyond the question of whether participants are informed by awareness-raising activities, to an assessment of whether they lead to behavioural changes that reduce the risk of trafficking. It considers the key drivers behind trafficking, whether the underlying assumption that information is lacking necessarily holds and the importance of targeted campaigns that are delivered by messengers credible to the target communities.