Modern Slavery Research Articles

Frames of consumer mobilization and modern slavery

Using frames theory, this research offers insights into the contradictions of how anti-slavery Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) deploy the frames of responsible buyer and responsible citizen to mobilize consumers against slavery. The study examines the underlying assumptions and contradictions of the frames by drawing on framing theory and Judith Butler’s approach to “framing the frames”. Such an approach helps understand how NGOs obfuscate the responsibility of corporations in contributing to modern slavery. This research contributes to extant interpretation of consumer activism by pointing to how consumer mobilization can be more usefully explained as a contested terrain that is shaped by activist groups whose communication is characterized by contradictions and conflicts. It also broadens the scope of frame theory by foregrounding the ethics of communication frames.

The Troubling Influence and Impact of the UK’s Modern Slavery Agenda on Caribbean Anti-Trafficking Law and Practice

The Troubling Influence and Impact of the UK’s Modern Slavery Agenda on Caribbean Anti-Trafficking Law and Practice

Criminalising survivors of modern slavery: the United Kingdom’s National Referral Mechanism as a border-making process

Abstract The United Kingdom’s National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is a framework for identifying potential victims of modern slavery (slavery, servitude, forced labour or human trafficking) and ensuring that they receive adequate care. This research explores differences in referrals and outcomes of potential modern slavery victims within the NRM on the basis of individual attributes, geography and first responder. Findings are based on exploratory analysis of data on 55,000 cases released by the Home Office in spring 2022 plus data from four Freedom of Information requests. Findings confirm that there are significant differences in rates of positive outcomes between native and immigrant groups, with native populations more likely to receive positive conclusive grounds (CG) decisions. Our key contribution is in identification of the role of the first responder in negatively influencing outcomes for victims of particular forms of exploitation. We suggest the differences in outcomes may be explained by the dual role played by first responders within the immigration system in identifying victims and implementing immigration control measures. We situate this finding within a broader critical migration literature on polymorphous borders pointing to the NRM as one mechanism through which bodies are differentially excluded from territorial access and associated rights or benefits.

Call for Research: Leveraging Social Networking for Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking Awareness

ABSTRACTHuman trafficking is a complex global issue that continues to challenge efforts aimed at raising awareness and preventing its occurrence. Overall, the literature suggests that social networking platforms have the potential to significantly enhance human trafficking awareness efforts but require careful strategy development to overcome algorithmic limitations and ensure meaningful engagement with users. Further research is needed to evaluate the long‐term impact of social networking campaigns on human trafficking awareness and prevention. This poster is an extension of a presentation at the ASIS&T Midwest Chapter Spring 2024 Symposium with the purpose of increasing attention to this important research area. This poster provides five broad research questions that can be immediately addressed by information science researchers for the purpose of increasing understanding of this devastating global issue.

Neo-Liberalism’s Shadows: Modern slavery in South African Higher Education

Neoliberal ideology globally prioritises competition and productivity over staff well-being in higher education, leading to exploitative practices and heightened stress among academic faculty, culminating in what can be termed modern academic slavery. This study investigates the contemporary impact of neoliberalism on South African universities, focussing on governance, funding and academic freedom, and how these factors contribute to deteriorating conditions for academic staff and toxic work environments. This research examines academic experiences in a South African urban higher education institution (HEI) utilizing a single-case study approach. It examines their context within institutional and societal trends. Using a single-case ideographic approach in a South African HEI, the study utilises detailed documentation, incident analysis and literature review to understand academic enslavement within the chosen HEI, contextualising the academic’s experiences within these broader institutional and societal trends. The findings reveal four key themes: moral disengagement, corporate malfeasance, exploitative labour practices, and labour coercion, illustrating the widespread exploitation of academic staff. The study advocates for urgent interventions to ensure respectful treatment, foster ethical work environments, and address disparities between administrators and faculty. It calls for autonomy, ethical leadership and a culture of inquiry in HEIs to combat modern academic slavery while acknowledging the need for further action and exploration.Contribution: This study underscores the current impact of neoliberalism on higher education in South Africa, exposing challenges for academic staff and advocating systemic reforms. It emphasises the necessity for future investigations into institutional accountability and strategies to enhance staff well-being in HEIs.

“Trauma scrambles things, trauma fragments…” A cross-cultural conversation with Corban Addison in the context of A Walk Across the Sun

ABSTRACT In this interview, Corban Addison exposes the harsh reality of child sex trafficking in India and across borders with his first-hand experiences with victims, survivors, and activists. Addison has written books on human rights, injustice in the world, and its culture. His works include A Walk Across the Sun (2012), The Garden of Burning Sand (2013), The Tears of Dark Water (2015), A Harvest of Thorns (2017), and Wastelands: The True Story of Farm Country on Trial (2022). Addison, being an engineer, lawyer, and author, began experimenting with writing at the age of fifteen years. He has used his profession as a lawyer in his writing to depict human atrocities, provide validity to victims, and advocate the abolition of modern slavery through his narratives. In this conversation, Addison talks about how he ended up writing A Walk Across the Sun while discussing sexual slavery, his background research, and how he was able to understand the experiences and trauma of sexual violence. He shares anecdotes of his journey to tsunami-affected areas, brothels, and meetings with victims and activists and how he portrays the sexual violence, trauma, and redemption from it.

Survivors of Modern Slavery and Their Digital Inclusion: A UK Qualitative Study from the Perspective of Survivors and Organizations That Support Them

ABSTRACT This paper considers how to better support the social inclusion of survivors of modern slavery using digital technologies. As such, it explores the under-researched views and experiences of survivors themselves and representatives of civil society organizations supporting them, in relation to how they access and use digital technologies in the UK. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 survivors and 18 organization representatives, and the data collected was thematically analyzed. Key findings suggest that, to support survivors’ (re)integration, it is essential to provide them with access to technology and the digital skills to be safe and pursue opportunities online. However, while survivors value digital technologies to access support and undertake everyday activities, funding for the provision of such technologies is both limited and inconsistent. Meanwhile, in terms of digital skills and safety training, balance between individualized, tailor-made support and formal training is often lacking. Bridging research on survivors of modern slavery with broader digital inequalities work, this paper argues that digital access and digital literacy are crucial to survivors’ material and socio-cultural (re)integration in the UK. Recommendations are provided for research, practice, and policy aimed at facilitating the social and digital inclusion of survivors.

Exploitation of Children in England and Wales: Barriers to understanding child-centred support service outcomes using two sources of administrative data

Across the UK, the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the framework by which those affected, or those at risk of, modern slavery, are referred by ‘first-responders’ (such as the police) to other support services. For children, a key support mechanism is the Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship (ICTG) service, run by Barnardo’s for the Home Office. Administrative data from the NRM and ICTG were utilised in a novel mixed-method study to evaluate child-centred outcomes for children receiving ICTG support. We utilised publicly available NRM data to look at the nature of reported modern slavery between 2017 and 2022. We also negotiated access to Home Office held ICTG service data for the same period. Whilst our findings reveal patterns in the extent of reported exploitation and the nature of service support, examination of the two data sets revealed a number of issues related to categorisation of children, exploitation experiences, and geographical representation that hinder a comprehensive understanding of outcomes for child exploitation and trafficking. Qualitative ICTG data, however, revealed a ‘pyramid’ of support areas that were crucial to supporting positive outcomes, whilst participatory research methods revealed significant positive outcomes for children. The research identified a failure of administrative data to directly collect information relevant to positive child-centred outcomes. The recommendations, detailed within the final report, suggest that there is further work that could be done to improve administrative data collection, and highlight the potential of linked administrative data sources to understand related outcomes, such as health, education and crime/justice.

Problematizing socially sustainable global supply chains: Theoretical insights, contextual challenges, and the issue of modern slavery

This study critically examines the literature on enablers of socially sustainable global supply chains, with a particular focus on the theoretical underpinnings that contribute to their establishment and maintenance. It also explores the contextual factors that perpetuate modern slavery within supply chains, evaluating the measures taken to address these issues. A comprehensive review of 265 publications from 2012 to 2024, identified through a keyword search in the Scopus database, forms the basis of this analysis. Key factors that enable labor abuse in global supply chains are identified, including business models that prioritize profit over ethics, socio-economic vulnerabilities of workers, commercial pressures, and insufficient regulatory oversight. By bridging gaps in the current literature, this study contributes to developing best practices for managing socially sustainable supply chains, with significant implications for theory, context, and policy.

Forced Marriages in Times of Armed Conflict: An Implicit Paradox of Modern Slavery under International Humanitarian Law

Forced Marriages in Times of Armed Conflict: An Implicit Paradox of Modern Slavery under International Humanitarian Law

A Review of the Human Trafficking Framework: Is the Law Sufficient to Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking in the HKSAR?

ABSTRACT This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the legal framework surrounding human trafficking in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), a region witnessing an alarming increase in such incidents. The study juxtaposes the legislative approach of the HKSAR with that of the United Kingdom and international law commitments, treaties, and resolutions. While highlighting the limitations in the HKSAR’s legal frame, primarily its nonparticipation in the Palermo Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime 2000, it argues that legal deficiencies are not the sole contributors to the region’s human trafficking issues. It contends that underlying societal and criminal factors, such as organized crime and corruption, impede the law’s effectiveness. The study further identifies areas where HKSAR’s laws fail to define and criminalize elements of trafficking adequately. It discusses the potential of the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015, despite its criticisms, and explores if such a reform could benefit Hong Kong. This study aims to stimulate dialogue and research to enhance legal frameworks combating human trafficking.

Modern Slavery, Victim Identification and the ‘Victimized State’

Modern Slavery, Victim Identification and the ‘Victimized State’

Examining the relationship between CEO power and modern slavery disclosures: The moderating role of board gender diversity in UK companies

AbstractDrawing on agency and gender socialisation theories, this study examines the effect of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) power on corporate modern slavery disclosures (MSD) and investigates whether board gender diversity might influence this relationship. Based on a sample comprising the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) 100 companies from 2016 to 2020, the findings indicate that, although there has been progress in corporate transparency concerning modern slavery, a significant gap persists in the reporting on the measurement and monitoring of the effectiveness of their policies. This may stem from powerful CEOs' desires to maintain a positive corporate image, leading to minimal disclosure of potentially damaging information. The fixed effects panel regression analysis reveals a negative relationship between CEO power (CEOP) and the extent of modern slavery disclosures (MSD), with a significant moderating effect observed when female board representation is substantial. This evidence suggests that female board members may challenge groupthink and introduce diverse perspectives that can alter the board's dynamics, potentially mitigating the negative impact of CEOP on issues like modern slavery disclosure by encouraging more ethical and collective decision‐making. This research underscores the need for greater transparency and accountability in addressing modern slavery and promoting more responsible business practices.

Accounting for modern slavery risk transparency in Nigerian businesses: Institutional context, disclosure and the way forward

This paper examines the state of engagement of Nigerian companies with modern slavery risk and how current accounting and reporting might be better enabled to contribute towards ending modern slavery practices. Crane's (2013) theoretical framework is used to guide understanding of the contexts behind modern slavery risk disclosure in Nigeria, including industry, socioeconomic, regulatory, cultural and geographic factors. Cross-sectional content and thematic analysis are undertaken, as published in the annual reports, sustainability reports and websites of top companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. In line with Crane (2013), supply chain codes of conduct and collaboration are identified as a possible first-stage intervention moderator between industry context and ending modern slavery in Nigeria. However, a second moderator, affordable micro-credit, is notably absent from disclosures, and a third moderator, private or civil regulators, as a substitute for government, is considered ineffective. Management capability mediators as circuit breakers, reducing accounting opacity, require further research. This is the first paper to present evidence about modern slavery supply chain risk disclosures in Nigeria and to develop possible contextual, moderating and mediating variables aimed at policies and actions to end modern slavery practices in Nigeria.

New words, new lives: employing interpretative phenomenological analysis integrated with strategies from ethnography in researching the lived experience of multilingualism and vulnerability in survivors of torture and modern slavery

ABSTRACT Few studies in applied linguistics address the methodological and ethical issues encountered in studying asylum seekers and refugees. Moreover, more research is needed on the lived-experience of multilingualism and vulnerability to understand better the interrelations between multilingualism, vulnerability, and empowerment. Based on a study which combines Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis with ethnographic approaches this paper explores the impact of multilingualism on the rehabilitation of survivors of torture and human rights violations. It provides researchers with reflections and insights on how to do effective research with vulnerable multilinguals and better understand the role language plays in contributing to lived-experiences of vulnerability. Pochi studi nella linguistica applicata affrontano le questioni metodologiche ed etiche incontrate durante la ricerca con i rifugiati. Inoltre, c'è bisogno di ricerche sull'esperienza vissuta del multilinguismo e della vulnerabilità per comprendere meglio le interrelazioni tra multilinguismo, vulnerabilità ed empowerment. Questo articolo si basa su uno studio che combina fenomenologia ed etnografia per esplorare il ruolo del multilinguismo nella riabilitazione dei sopravvissuti alla tortura e ad altre violazioni dei diritti umani. L'obiettivo è duplice: fornire ai ricercatori riflessioni su come condurre una ricerca più approfondita con individui multilingui vulnerabili e comprendere il ruolo della lingua nelle loro esperienze di vulnerabilità.

Exploring the drivers of modern slavery reporting quality in Indonesia

AbstractVulnerability to modern slavery in Indonesia, particularly driven by poverty and discrimination against minority groups, has become a primary concern in the context of information transparency. This study aims to investigate the factors that can support the reporting quality of modern slavery in Indonesia, namely the industry sector, profitability, social responsibility commitment, and gender diversity as the moderating variable. The research utilized a sample of 225 companies listed on the Indonesia stock exchange (IDX) from 2020 to 2022. Data were collected from financial reports and sustainability reports as well as the Refinitiv Eikon database. Panel data regression analysis was conducted to analyze the determinants of the disclosure quality. The research findings indicate that high‐risk industry sectors tend to disclose less information regarding modern slavery, with this outcome having a partially negative impact. However, profitability is not associated with the quality of voluntary modern slavery disclosure. In contrast, corporate responsibility commitment is positively associated. Additionally, this study reveals that gender diversity does not moderate the association between the industry sector, profitability, and corporate responsibility commitment with the disclosure quality of modern slavery. This research contributes to the growing literature on the accountability of modern slavery in an emerging country context through institutional theory and gender socialization theory lenses by identifying the firm‐level factors to enhance corporate disclosure in this area. This study also contributes to corporate understanding of modern slavery issues within supply chains. With growing attention to this problem, the awareness of labor exploitation within corporate supply chains is also increasing. The findings of this research can assist companies in recognizing the importance of transparency and voluntary disclosure regarding modern slavery in their supply chains.

Organizing Supply Chain Modern Slavery Risks: A Regulatory Focus Perspective

Organizing Supply Chain Modern Slavery Risks: A Regulatory Focus Perspective

Key stakeholders and their roles in modern slavery monitoring, detection and disclosure: a systematic literature review

Purpose Even though extant research highlights the crucial role some stakeholders play in helping corporations understand, manage and mitigate the occurrence of modern slavery in their supply chains and operations, there is a fundamental lack of understanding of all the relevant stakeholder groups and the specific roles they play. By adopting a stakeholder theory approach, this study aims to identify all the key stakeholders and their associated roles towards supporting corporations’ modern slavery monitoring, detection and disclosure activities. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was conducted by following the PRISMA guidelines. Relevant literature included scholarly work focusing on the identification of key stakeholders and the roles they play in enabling corporations’ modern slavery monitoring, detection and disclosure activities. Findings Nine stakeholder groups and their roles were identified, such as governments, workers, IGOs, NGOs and suppliers. Examples of performed activities include conducting audits, providing training, monitoring occurrences of modern slavery, enforcing regulations, reporting on labour issues and evaluating corporations’ modern slavery reports. Practical implications A comprehensive understanding of key stakeholders and their roles enables better collaboration towards achieving transparency within corporations’ supply chains and operations. Other stakeholders can leverage these findings to enhance modern slavery reporting activities. Social implications Clarity regarding key stakeholders and their roles may improve quality and quantity of reported modern slavery information, enhancing corporations’ public accountability. Originality/value This study adopts a stakeholder theory approach to provide a comprehensive understanding of key stakeholders and their roles in enhancing corporations’ modern slavery reporting activities.

Human Trafficking Awareness Training and Response Procedure Template for Transit Agencies

As the frontline eyes on communities, transit operators are uniquely positioned to recognize suspicious activities and report them to authorities. Training is necessary to inform and empower transit agencies in the fight against human trafficking. Human trafficking is modern day slavery, which the U.S. Department of Justice defines as a crime that involves the exploitation of a person for labor, services, or commercial sex. Human trafficking is a worldwide criminal industry that the denies freedom of 25 million people around the world. This heinous crime often targets the most vulnerable populations and preys on their needs, weaknesses, and insecurities as a strategy to control their victims through force, fraud, and coercion. This paper reviews the resources available for transit agencies to train their employees on the signs of human trafficking that they should be on the lookout for. Truckers Against Trafficking’s Busing on the Lookout program has shared success stories related to transit employees recognizing situations and saving human trafficking victims. However, the existence of transit agency policies and associated procedures is a recognized resource gap in the transit industry. The available training materials direct trainees to refer to their agency policy on how to report suspicious activity. However, as noted, many transit agencies do not have a formalized policy or procedures in place to dictate how to report suspected human trafficking activity. This paper provides agencies with valuable human trafficking awareness training resources and a response procedure template as tools to improve the awareness and reporting procedures in their agency.

Social and Psychological Trauma of Human Trafficking: Albanian Women Case

Human trafficking is a phenomenon with a long history during the centuries. In Albania country, human trafficking has existed for a long time, even during the communist period. The post-communist period has been ranked as the top period for human trafficking and human slavery. As a result of the phenomena of the collapse of communism after 1990, in Albanian society happened so many changes in the field of government and political system, the opening of boundaries toward all countries of the world or free movement toward all countries, liberalisation of the economy, social and cultural changes etc. Most researchers evaluated this period as a transition period in political, social, economic and cultural. So this situation created a good field for developing human trafficking within Albania. Although the human trafficking phenomenon has been explored in the post-communist society, in the transition period till nowadays have been growing and extended more. The functioning of the government and low security made it possible for the mafia to be stronger in human trafficking too. So, Albania has been a bridge country for human trafficking from Eastern countries toward Greece, Italy, European Countries and other countries of the world. Women and children were and are still primary victims of sex slavery and are included in varying sexual activities like prostitution, stripping, sex tourism, pornography etc. In this paper, we are going to explain human trafficking as a type of modern slavery that is formed as sex trafficking. In this case, we are going to discuss the psychological trauma that sex trafficking affects Albanian women. Are these victims still able to continue their own lives? Do they fill their selves ignored by the society where they are living? What are their psychological traumas caused in their character and does this trauma affect their life? Also, we are going to discuss for social trauma that is caused in Albanian society during the human trafficking have happened in the post-communist period till today. What are the pathologies that human trafficking (in this case sex trafficking) brings to Albanian society and the different social actors? Received: 2 June 2024 / Accepted: 25 July 2024 / Published: 29 July 2024