Symposium fosters cross-sector collaboration on modern slavery issues

The Modern Slavery and Social Sustainability Research Group (MSSS RG) held its second symposium for 2024 in July, featuring diverse participants from businesses, NGOs, the Welsh Government, and academic institutions.

Co-directors Dr Maryam Lotfi from Cardiff Business School and Dr Anna Skeels from sbarc|spark opened the symposium, emphasising Cardiff University's commitment to cutting-edge research and its collaboration with non-academic partners. They highlighted the value of building a supportive community with stakeholders like The Salvation Army, the Human Trafficking Foundation, and Social Care Wales.

A panel of experts provided critical insights into the complexities of modern slavery. First to speak was Josh Vuglar, Head of Modern Slavery and Workers’ Rights at the Welsh Government, who emphasised the current challenges in tackling modern slavery, noting its decline in political priority. He spoke about the potential impact of new UK Government legislation, such as the Illegal Migration Act and the Nationality and Borders Act. He outlined the Welsh Government's initiatives to address these issues.

Anthony Hanley, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Compliance at Alcumus, highlighted the insufficiency of current laws in helping businesses combat modern slavery. He called for a change in direction and emphasised the need for stronger repercussions to break the cycle of complacency in modern slavery statements.

Paska Moore, Research Lead on Anti-trafficking and Modern Slavery at The Salvation Army, discussed the growing use of technology for exploitation and the extent of digital inclusion. She warned about the risks of modern slavery being hidden in plain sight through online networks and highlighted the need for collaboration in tackling these challenges, with verification work playing a crucial role.

Dr Anna Skeels, Research Fellow at sbarc|spark said: “The symposium further demonstrated the uniqueness of our research group - for example, bringing together experts in participatory research with survivors of modern slavery with those tackling modern slavery risk management in supply chains – and our efforts to build a positive, proactive, inclusive, and collaborative research culture around modern slavery and social sustainability.”

Afternoon sessions featured group discussions on future directions for the research group. Attendees provided positive feedback, appreciating the symposium's role in facilitating conversations across various sectors and generating new ideas for combating modern slavery.