Welcome to the Slavery Research Bulletin, the Freedom Fund’s monthly brief designed to bring you new & compelling research from the global anti-slavery movement. Subscribe to our bulletin here.
Moving beyond the cruelty of human trafficking
While much attention is focused on the horrors of human trafficking and on the rescue of victims, less is paid to life afterwards. The new issue of the Anti-Trafficking Review examines the challenges faced by survivors after exiting situations of trafficking, in countries with robust anti-trafficking regimes as well as in countries that offer little assistance.
London’s construction workers at high risk of exploitation
A report by Focus on Labour Exploitation identifies the factors that place workers in London’s construction sector at risk of modern slavery and other severe forms of exploitation. Half of the 134 workers surveyed do not have a written job contract and informal hiring practices have left workers vulnerable to unsafe working conditions, arbitrary dismissals and wage underpayments.
The benefits and risks faced by migrant workers from Myanmar
A study on the impact of labour migration on families in Myanmar concludes that household income, consumption and savings all increased as a result of labour migration, but migrants’ psychological wellbeing suffered. Additionally, migrants often rely on loans at high interest rates to cover the costs of migration, with most borrowers paying an interest of 10 – 20 percent per month.
Psychological symptoms among trafficking survivors
A survey of 131 survivors of sex and labour trafficking in the U.S. identified a high rate (61 percent) of post-traumatic stress disorder. The study also found significant differences between survivors of sex trafficking and survivors of labour trafficking, including that sex trafficking survivors were more likely to suffer pre-trafficking childhood abuse and report symptoms of complex trauma.
Monitoring the UK’s Modern Slavery Strategy
The Public Accounts Committee has called on the UK Home Office to improve measurement of its Modern Slavery Strategy, including having baseline data and targets to track progress. The report highlights that victims are waiting too long to receive National Referral Mechanism decisions, and the hands-off approach to businesses’ compliance with transparency in supply chain legislation needs strengthening.
Read on…
- A toolkit by UN Women highlights the challenges faced by women survivors of violence in obtaining justice, and offers practical guidance to tackle these barriers.
- The International Labour Organization draws on lessons learnt from its Work in Freedom program to challenge misperceptions about domestic work and anti-trafficking policies.
- Our World in Data presents infographic data on violence against children, including child labour and child marriage.
And finally
Since 2014, the Freedom Fund has supported over 390,000 people vulnerable to slavery. Read our latest impact report.
News & updates
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