The Conversation

Could Australia’s new agricultural work visa lead to more exploitation?

The Australian government is currently finalizing the details of a new temporary visa for agricultural workers. Proponents hope the [...]

Migrant farmers protest exploitation in UK seasonal worker scheme

For years, reports of abuse within the UK’s seasonal worker scheme have gone largely unaddressed. Now, amid mounting allegations of [...]

Data Science to Fight Human Trafficking

Yesterday marked the UN’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, an opportunity to shine a spotlight on efforts to stop the criminal [...]

U.S. prison slavery: a moment of reckoning

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall [...]

The UK’s Modern Slavery Act—what went wrong?

The UK’s 2015 Modern Slavery Act turned ten years old this week. The legislation was designed primarily to increase protections for [...]

The Forgotten Male Victims of Forced Marriage

Forced marriage is usually talked about in relation to women or child brides being coerced into wedding someone. But did you know that [...]

Platforms for housing Ukrainian refugees must step up safety measures

As 4.5 million refugees flee the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they are being met with an outpouring of support and generosity from [...]

What’s Missing from 101 Company Statements on Modern Slavery

Two university researchers in the UK analyzed 101 company statements published under the UK Modern Slavery Act, uncovering major gaps [...]

Migrant workers are documenting their experiences to drive change

Groups of Bangladeshi and Pakistani men are raising awareness of the conditions they face as undocumented agricultural workers in [...]

Survivors Tell of Loss of Identity, Family Rejection for Refusing Forced Marriage

In the last four years since England and Wales changed their laws on forced marriage there have been two landmark convictions of [...]

U.K. set to become even more hostile for people fleeing danger

After recent deaths in the English Channel, the U.K.’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has announced a five-point plan to overhaul the [...]

African Virgin Girls Taken as “Wives of Gods”

Trokosi is traditional belief system in West Africa wherein virgin girls — some as young as six — are taken to shrines, where they are [...]

How business, government, and consumers can act to end modern slavery

Modern slavery is ubiquitous. From the clothes we wear and the food we eat to the cars we drive and the technology we use, many of the [...]

How the UK Can Learn from Brazil and India

Work is seen as a fundamental means to getting out of poverty. Yet for many in the UK, despite the employment rate remaining high, [...]

Four years on, has Australia’s Modern Slavery Act been effective?

An independent review of Australia’s Modern Slavery Act has concluded that the legislation is failing to have a significant [...]

How We Avoid Feeling Guilty for Slave-Made Goods

We consume or use products that are likely tainted by modern slavery every day. From gadgets to clothing, fish, cocoa, and cane sugar, [...]

Modern slavery survivors in Australia face multiple barriers to housing

The Australian federal government recently passed a funding boost directed at modern slavery survivors to help them access services [...]

A Female System of Abuse: Haiti’s Children in Domestic Slavery

Hundreds of thousands of Haitian children are trapped in modern slavery, and women are playing a key role in perpetuating the abuse. [...]

Flawed visa system locks survivors out of services

The Australian government recently introduced new measures aimed at protecting migrant workers at risk of exploitation. But new [...]

A Tragic Paradox: When Trafficking Victims Become Perpetrators

Watcharaporn Nantahkhum’s story became known to Australia not because she was a victim of human trafficking. Rather, in 2012 she [...]

Risk of forced labor in Lululemon’s supply chain

The Canadian government recently joined the ranks of California, the United Kingdom and Australia in passing laws designed to eliminate [...]

Child Trafficking and the Search for Football’s Next Star

Some 15,000 children have been trafficked to Europe under the false premise that they can become football’s next superstar. [...]

Exploitative practices are a common thread in the garment industry

Major fashion brands, including Barbour and PVH (owner of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger), are set to pay over £400,000 in [...]

Modern slavery lurks behind South Africa’s spaza shops

Residents of South Africa’s townships have long relied on informal retailers known as spaza shops for food, household items, and [...]