The Modern Slavery PEC's second annual conference A human rights-centred approach to addressing modern slavery and human trafficking will take place on 21st April 2026 in London.
Last year, we convened more than 200 people from across and beyond the UK’s anti-slavery sector, to reflect on progress ten years after the introduction of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, and to look ahead to future policy and evidence priorities.
One year on, the legal and policy environment in the UK has changed considerably. Developments in the criminal justice system, labour market regulation and asylum and immigration policy have significant implications for efforts to identify and support modern slavery survivors and bring the perpetrators to justice. The Government has committed to introducing new modern slavery legislation including improving accountability for modern slavery in supply chains, and to reform the National Referral Mechanism. And the new Fair Work Agency has the potential to transform the UK’s approach to preventing labour exploitation when it begins operating in April this year.
The conference programme is being finalised and will be published shortly. It will include some significant speakers with important roles in developing a human rights-centred approach to modern slavery and human trafficking. The conference will also bring together the worlds of policy, academia, civil society, practice and lived experience, to ask:
How can we frame a holistic, forward-looking approach to tackling modern slavery that is grounded in human rights and focused on prevention, as well as access to justice and redress for those already affected by it? What opportunities do upcoming legislative and policy developments present, and what evidence is required to ensure their effectiveness?
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For any queries, please contact pec.office@humanities.ox.ac.uk
