Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the research being conducted by the University is one of five new projects from Modern Slavery PEC. These five projects will investigate survivors’ mental wellbeing, explore and define long term outcomes for adults and children affected by modern slavery, and will develop support for British nationals.

Survivors of modern slavery will play a crucial part in these innovative research projects, which aim to improve key areas of the current support system for people affected by modern slavery in the UK. By involving people with lived experiences of modern slavery, these projects will put survivor voice and presence at the forefront, resulting in robust academic research.

Dr Patricia Hynes, Reader in Forced Migration with the University of Bedfordshire’s School of Applied Social Sciences, will be the Principal Investigator for the project, titled ‘Stable Futures: Improving Participation, Life Chances and Outcomes for Children and Young People following Human Trafficking and/or ‘Modern Slavery’.

She said: “It is only by working together with young people who have experienced human trafficking or exploitation that we can hope to understand what is important for their pathways towards positive outcomes. If we listen carefully, we might find solutions that align with the UK’s global commitments.”

In partnership with ECPAT UK, the University of Bedfordshire will work with young people to identify their experiences and priorities, using arts and multi-media-based approaches to co-create projects on the themes of protection, recovery, inclusion, and empowerment. Devised alongside young people, the team will develop an outcomes framework to identify what short, medium or long-term positive outcomes might look like in the UK context.

Patricia Durr, CEO of ECPAT UK, said: “Child victims of trafficking have the same rights as all children to positive outcomes for health and wellbeing, being safe, learning and having fun, participating and contributing; but face many barriers and are all too often invisible. We are excited that this project puts child victims at the centre of what is most important to their protection and care and any prevention and recovery approaches. This is the starting point for all of our work at ECPAT UK and must be the driver for positive change for children and young people. We owe them no less.”

This project will be led by the University’s Institute of Applied Social Research (IASR) in collaboration with ECPAT UK – a leading children's rights organisation working to protect children from trafficking and exploitation. During this 12-month project, Dr Hynes and IASR researchers, including Dr Helen Connolly – Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Course Coordinator for Human Rights & Social Enterprise MA – will seek to identify which outcomes of care and protection are most important from the perspectives of young people themselves, and what the pathways towards these outcomes might look like through survivor-led research.

Dr Alison Tresidder, Head of the School of Applied Social Studies, believes the University’s reputation in the field will be further enhanced by leading the research project. She said:

“This exciting project will build on the work we do in the University on forced migration and trafficking, as well as past work on the trafficking of children and young people. The project builds on our impact and reputation in this area both nationally and internationally.

“The findings of Dr Patricia Hynes and Dr Helen Connolly will have an impact in many areas of the curriculum and benefit teaching and learning. It is excellent that our students will profit from learning about the method and findings of this exciting project.”

Other projects from researchers and experts in their field from the Universities of Birmingham, Hull, Nottingham, Stirling, St Mary’s, Kings College, East London and London School of Economics have also been selected by the Modern Slavery PEC.

Professor Alex Balch, Director of Research at Modern Slavery PEC commented: “We are delighted to have world-class research teams collaborating with non-academic partners working at the cutting edge of key policy issues in the UK for survivor support and recovery.

“Survivor inclusion is one of the key principles of the Modern Slavery PEC’s research. We want to make sure that people with lived experience are truly at the centre of our research as peer researchers, and not in a superficial tokenistic way. We want to set the standards in this area.”

The Modern Slavery PEC project led by the University of Bedfordshire is due to be completed by August 2022. More information about ECPAT UK and its work can be found on their website: www.ecpat.org.uk

For updates on this and other active IASR projects, follow the School of Applied Social Research on Twitter. Further information about all five projects can be found on the Modern Slavery PEC website.

Details about PhD and research opportunities with Bedfordshire’s Institute of Applied Social Research can be found online: