The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre at the University of Oxford is organising a conference ‘Ten years on from the Modern Slavery Act: Where next for modern slavery law and policy?’
The event will be held on 5 March 2025 at The British Library in London.
In 2025 we mark ten years since the passage of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. Hailed as ground-breaking at the time, it defined policy and practice on modern slavery for the next decade. Ten years on, it is an opportune moment to reflect on and refresh the UK’s legal and policy framework for addressing modern slavery. The system to identify and support survivors is creaking under pressure, prosecution rates remain stubbornly low, and prevention is still poorly understood and implemented.
With a new Government in office, with different ideas, priorities and plans for addressing modern slavery, now is the right moment to take stock and to look ahead to the next ten years. What should the UK’s policy priorities on modern slavery be and what new evidence do we need to inform them?
This landmark event will bring together policymakers, researchers, practitioners and lived experience experts to assess the UK’s modern slavery response and outline priorities for the next decade.
ITV News anchor Julie Etchingham will host a Q&A session with a special guest, alongside discussion panels with an esteemed line up of experts from the worlds of policy, law, academia, business and practice, as well as lived experience experts. Sessions will be chaired by the former UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Dame Sara Thornton, Chris Murray MP, Tony Vaughan MP, Sophie Otiende (Azadi Kenya, former CEO of the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery), Patricia Durr (ECPAT UK) and Jasmine O'Connor (CEO of Reset Communities for Refugees, former CEO of Anti-Slavery International). UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner will also make a plenary speech to open the afternoon session.
Please see the full agenda below.
RSVP
Please email us at office@modernslaverypec.org to confirm your attendance in order to gain entry.
Agenda
9.30am Coffee & networking
10.00. Welcome
Murray Hunt, Director of the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre at the University of Oxford
10.15. Opening challenge
Jane Lasonder, Member of the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre Lived Experience Advisory Panel.
10.20. Plenary panel: 10 years since the Modern Slavery Act. What have we learned for the next ten years?
In 2025 we mark ten years since the passage of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. Hailed as ground-breaking at the time, it defined policy and practice on modern slavery for the next decade. Ten years on, it is an opportune moment to reflect on and refresh the UK’s legal and policy framework for addressing modern slavery. What should the UK’s policy priorities on modern slavery be and what new evidence do we need to inform them?
Chair: Jasmine O’Connor, CEO of Reset Communities for Refugees, former CEO of Anti-Slavery International, survivor leader.
Speakers:
- Modupe Debbie Ariyo OBE, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Afruca and BASNET
- Marija Jovanovic, Research Fellow in Business and Human Rights, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, Oxford University and Co-Investigator of the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre
- Baroness Young of Hornsey, Crossbench member of the House of Lords
- Prof Alex Balch, University of Liverpool, Director of Research at the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre
11.05. Plenary panel: Modern slavery in supply chains: where do we go from here?
There is general agreement that the Transparency in Supply Chains measures of the Modern Slavery Act has had some success but remains limited in its impact. Considering increasing momentum internationally behind forced labour import bans and human rights due diligence legislation, what does the UK Government need to do to remain an international leader in this space? What do businesses want to see? Where next for the evidence base?
Chair: Professor Dame Sara Thornton DBE QPM, Rights Lab Professor of Practice in Modern Slavery Policy
Speakers:
- Áine Clarke, Head of KnowTheChain and Investor Strategy, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre
- Dr Sofia Gonzalez de Aguinaga, Research Leader in Business, ESG & Modern Slavery, Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law
- Katherine McNulty, Head of Enforcement and Supply Chains, Home Office Modern Slavery Unit
11.45. Comfort break
12.00. Keynote presentation by a special guest.
Introduction from Murray Hunt, Director, Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre
Q&A hosted by Julie Etchingham, Presenter, ITV News at Ten
12.30. Lunch
1.30. Afternoon opening address
Eleanor Lyons, UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner
1.45. Break-out panel sessions
Panel 1: Ethical lived experience engagement
There is increasing momentum behind efforts to meaningfully engage people with lived experience in research and policy on modern slavery. How should that be done ethically, equitably and effectively? What can we learn from existing practice? What are the current challenges? And what does it mean to professionalise lived experience?
Chair: Sophie Otiende, Founder of Azadi Kenya and former CEO of the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS)
Speakers:
- Dr Wendy Asquith, Lecturer in Politics of Antislavery and Immigration, Liverpool University
- Minh Dang, MSW, PhD, Executive Director of Survivor Alliance
- Ify Dibie, Member of the Lived Experience Advisory Panel Speaker at the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre
- Christine Mutshipay, Lived Experience Engagement Coordinator at the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre
Panel 2: Local and regional leadership
What role do local and regional actors have in addressing modern slavery? How can national policymakers and the research community support local and regional actors to collaborate and work across siloes as effectively as possible?
Chair: Chris Murray, Labour MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh
Speakers:
- Gillian Kane, Lecturer in Law, Ulster University
- Wanjiku Ngotho-Mbugua, Acting CEO, BAWSO
- Robin Brierley, Executive Director of the West Midlands Anti-Slavery Network and Co-Chair of the National Networks Coordinators’ Forum
- Hebe Lawson, Modern Slavery Lead, Coventry City Council
Panel 3: How can we prevent children and young people from experiencing exploitation?
Almost one third of referrals into the National Referral Mechanism are children. We know that children can experience specific kinds of exploitation, like child criminal exploitation, that need dedicated work to understand and prevent. How can we do more to prevent children and young people from experiencing exploitation? And how does work to prevent modern slavery fit into a broader context of work to prevent harm to children and young people?
Chair: Patricia Durr, CEO of ECPAT UK
Speakers:
- Professor Anita Franklin, Professor of Childhood Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University
- Professor Patricia Hynes, Professor of Social Justice, Sheffield Hallam University
- Rachel Hopper, Barnardo’s
2.45. Tea & coffee break
Plenary panel: How can we prevent modern slavery in policy and legislation?
What do we need to do to prevent modern slavery more effectively? How do we address root causes and ensure a joined-up approach on a policy level? What can we learn from work in adjacent sectors such as homelessness or wider labour standard enforcement?
Chair: Tony Vaughan MP, Labour MP for Folkestone and Hythe
Speakers:
- Ake Achi, Founding Chief Executive of Migrants at Work
- Dr Liz Such, Rights Lab Anne McLaren Fellow in Modern Slavery and Public Health, University of Nottingham
- Dr Leona Vaughn, Senior Lecturer, Liverpool University
- Olivia Hesketh, Director of Policy Impact at the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre
3.45. Close and next steps
Closing remarks: Olessya Glasson, Lived Experience Engagement Manager at the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre
Formal close by Murray Hunt, Director of the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre
Finish by 4pm.
RSVP
Please email us at office@modernslaverypec.org to confirm your attendance in order to gain entry.
About the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre
The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) at the University of Oxford works to enhance understanding of modern slavery and transform the effectiveness of law and policies designed to address it. The Centre funds and co-creates high quality research with a focus on policy impact, and brings together academics, policymakers, businesses, civil society and survivors to collaborate on solving this global challenge.
The Centre is a collaborative partnership of three academic organisations led by the University of Oxford, and including the Universities of Liverpool and Hull and is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) on behalf of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
