Conference - Rights, dignity and religion: responding to ‘modern slavery’

10 January 2020

This 1-day conference is an opportunity to discuss and debate how responses to ‘modern slavery’ can best secure the human rights and maintain the dignity of people experiencing severe exploitation.

The conference is being held at St Mary’s Conference Centre, Sheffield, UK.

  • Keynote speaker: Dr Yvonne Zimmerman, Associate Professor, Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Author Other Dreams of Freedom: Religion, Sex and Human Trafficking, Oxford University Press.

  • Sharing key findings of our three-year ESRC study ‘Understanding the roles of faith based organisations in anti-trafficking’.

  • Exhibition of the ‘Unhidden’ collection of images and a workshop with photographer Jeremy Abrahams and Freedom United on representing modern slavery with accuracy, respect and dignity.

  • Three panels or workshops over the course of the day will offer a mixture of academic and practice based presentations on themes of : visual images and representation; effective implementation of legislation and support and critiquing ‘modern slavery’.

  • Roundtable on standards in supporting survivors of modern slavery with:

      • Minh Dang, Survivor Alliance

      • Lara Bundock, Snowdrop and

      • Kate Roberts, Anti-Slavery International.

  • Panels will include research perspectives from the UK, European and international contexts.

  • Keynote closing panel with leading statutory, faith and NGO experts including:

      • Minh Dang, Survivor Alliance

      • Clare Gollop, Devon and Cornwall Police

      • Rt Rev Lord Bishop Alastair Redfern, Independent Anti Slavery Commissioner

      • Dame Sara Thornton

      • Sister Marie Power HFB, Renate.

Part of the ESRC project Understanding the roles of faith based organisations in anti-trafficking (ES/N014979/1).

Conference organised by Dr Hannah Lewis, Dr Rebecca Murray (University of Sheffield), Professor Emma Tomalin, Professor Louise Waite (University of Leeds).