This podcast is the recording of a Modern Slavery PEC lunchtime seminar, launching a research report on how definitions affect the UK’s response to child trafficking. 

In 2024, nearly 6,000 children were identified as potential victims of trafficking in the UK. This figure only includes children identified and referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). Identification of trafficked children is extremely difficult.

As the understanding of child trafficking, exploitation and modern slavery evolves, there are many definitions or categories in law and policy that are misunderstood, unclear or overlapping. Evidence shows that the lack of consensus among decision makers and practitioners around definitions has long remained an impediment to coordination, collaboration, and coherence. This has an impact on the services that affected or at-risk children receive, particularly with regard to identification, reporting and the subsequent response by relevant agencies.

For example, how do practitioners understand the differences between child sexual abuse (CSA) and child sexual exploitation (CSE)? How is child criminal exploitation (CCE) defined? Should all CSE and CCE cases be considered child trafficking? When does a child’s case meet the threshold for labour exploitation or domestic servitude? What is the difference with adults for each exploitation type?

On Tuesday 22 July 2025, we published a research report led by ECPAT UK that aimed to respond to these questions and explore how these definitions impact cases of children who have been exploited. At this event, the co-author of the report, Laura Duran from ECPAT UK, presented the findings of the research. The project was co-commissioned by the UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and the Modern Slavery and Human Rights PEC. You can read about it here. 

This podcast is a recording of a Modern Slavery PEC lunchtime seminar presenting the findings from a research project conducted by Ulster University and the International Organization for Migration UK (IOM UK), and co-funded by the Northern Ireland Department of Justice and the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) at the University of Oxford, which found that children exploited in criminality in Northern Ireland have not been recognised as victims of modern slavery, despite indications that they may meet the criteria.

Since 2015, only 45 people have been referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) in Northern Ireland as potential child victims of modern slavery that occurred in the UK, with only three referrals in 2023. Until this year, there has also never been a UK or Irish boy under 18 referred to the NRM for criminal exploitation at all in Northern Ireland, compared with nearly 12 thousand children identified for criminal exploitation across the rest of the UK.

In this lunchtime seminar, two researchers from this project, Dr Gillian Kane from Ulster University and Andrew Chisholm from IOM UK, present the findings from their research and discuss the way forward for identification of children exploited in criminal activities in Northern Ireland.

The Modern Slavery Act 2015 was introduced to consolidate offences, improve victim protection, and enhance the UK’s ability to prosecute those responsible for human trafficking and modern slavery offences. But despite increased public and professional awareness and a growing number of National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referrals, prosecution and conviction rates under this legislation remain low. What are the reasons for it and what barriers do survivors face to achieve justice?

Online event looking at barriers to prosecutions and convictions under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 from 14 May 2025, with Dr Alicia Heys, a Senior Lecturer in Modern Slavery at the Wilberforce Institute at the University of Hull, Co-Investigator of the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (at the University of Oxford) on behalf of Hull University. The event is based on research published on 9 May 2025, which you can read on the Modern Slavery PEC website. 

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. 

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.

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.

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– 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.

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.

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.