Modern Slavery & Human Rights PEC New Report

Modern slavery survivors are being retraumatised by the system set up to support them due to lack of cultural awareness, compassion & gaps in provision, according to research led by St Mary’s University, Twickenham and Mary Ward Loreto Foundation which used Albania as a case study to look at cultural competency in the UK response to modern slavery & exploitation.

FINDINGS include:

➡️There is no comprehensive approach to culturally competent care for modern slavery survivors in the UK
➡️Practitioners lack adequate understanding of survivors' cultural background, which may result in survivors feeling misunderstood and discriminated against and experiencing retraumatisation
➡️Survivors report being treated as either criminals or defenceless victims, rather than people with agency, resilience, and skills, resulting in trauma & disengagement
➡️Family values - a deep responsibility and commitment to looking after their family and community – is a key driver for precarious migration journeys in the absence of local job opportunities to provide for their family.
➡️ Family also played a key role in finding informal opportunities abroad & finding money needed for migration, leaving people in debt and adding a sense of responsibility to repay, increasing their vulnerability to exploitation
✅ RECOMMENDATIONS: Modern slavery policy-makers and practitioners should acknowledge the significance of these values when designing or giving support: and they should adopt & adapt best practice compassionate care models commonly used in the healthcare sector.

Read the report here