Modern Slavery PEC partner workstrand: Wilberforce Institute, University of Hull
This workstream, led by Dr Alicia Heys at the Wilberforce Institute, University of Hull, examines how the UK’s legal system enforces modern slavery offences and how justice outcomes can be improved for people with lived experience. The project investigates barriers to prosecution, conviction, and remediation under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
The research focuses on three interconnected areas: the use and effectiveness of ancillary orders (such as Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders, Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders and Slavery and Trafficking Reparation Orders); the challenges survivors face in engaging with the criminal justice system; and professional perspectives on the application of the statutory defence in section 45 of the Act.
Through literature reviews, interviews, and focus groups with survivors, police, prosecutors, and other experienced practitioners, the project seeks to identify where the enforcement framework succeeds and where it falls short. Insights from this work will generate evidence-based recommendations for strengthening legal responses and ensuring that justice mechanisms better reflect survivors’ needs and expectations.
The findings will inform policy and practice through a series of reports, blogs, and policy briefings, contributing to the PEC’s broader goal of improving the effectiveness, fairness, and humanity of the UK’s response to modern slavery.
Project Team: Dr Alicia Heys, Dr Bethany Darby, and Dr Craig Barlow, all from the Wilberforce Institute at the University of Hull.
