The Wilberforce Institute welcomes the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s (IASC) Strategic Plan 2024-2026, which sets out a crucial roadmap for tackling modern slavery in the UK.
The plan focuses on prevention, protection, and prosecution, while prioritising the integration of lived experience and strengthening our understanding of modern slavery. These priorities closely align with the Wilberforce Institute’s commitment to delivering research-led solutions that inform policy and practice.
Prevention
Prevention of modern slavery in the UK remains an underdeveloped area in research and policy, with limited evidence on effective strategies. We welcome the Commissioner’s focus on tackling demand for criminal, labour and sexual exploitation, as well as addressing the root causes that make individuals vulnerable to modern slavery.
The Wilberforce Institute has been at the forefront of research into the social, economic and environmental drivers of modern slavery, including research on climate change and conflict which align within the broader plan to address and prevent modern slavery.
Protection
The Commissioner’s strategic plan highlights the need to strengthen protections for vulnerable groups, particularly homeless individuals, children at risk of criminal exploitation, and migrant workers. The Wilberforce Institute’s research and partnerships play a critical role in advancing these aims.
Our collaborations with frontline organisations through the Humber Modern Slavery Partnership have helped identify gaps in victim support and protection mechanisms, ensuring that responses to modern slavery are evidence-based and survivor-centred. Our Risk Assessment Service also works with organisations to identify and mitigate modern slavery risks, promoting ethical practices and ensuring worker protection.
Prosecution
The IASC aims to improve the application of modern slavery laws across the UK, enhance law enforcement training, and promote victim trust in the criminal justice system. The strategic plan advocates for reduced National Referral Mechanism wait times, the rollout of Victim Navigators, and stronger partnerships between law enforcement and prosecutors to increase modern slavery prosecutions. The Wilberforce Institute has long been engaged in work that supports these aims.
The Institute undertakes significant work in developing partnerships between practitioners working in the anti-slavery field, as demonstrated by the Humber Modern Slavery Partnership. The Institute’s Justice Hub also works with policymakers, law enforcement, and legal professionals to improve strategies for investigating and prosecuting modern slavery cases, offering training and guidance on best practice.
In addition, our work on the statutory defence under Section 45 of the Modern Slavery Act has examined how statutory defences are applied, and we are actively engaging with police, legal professionals, and policymakers to strengthen protections for exploited individuals who are drawn into criminal activities against their will.
Moving Forward
We strongly support the IASC’s commitment to embedding lived experience in anti-slavery policy to provide essential insights and shape more effective interventions. At a time when modern slavery responses are often conflated with immigration enforcement, we also particularly welcome the IASC’s recognition that tackling irregular migration must not come at the expense of victim protection.
The Wilberforce Institute looks forward to continuing its collaboration with the IASC, policymakers, and practitioners to advance the priorities outlined in the strategic plan. By strengthening evidence-based responses, improving protections for victims, and enhancing enforcement strategies, we can work together to ensure that tackling modern slavery remains a national priority.
Read the full plan here
Sophie Blanchard holds an MA from the University of Hull, where she specialised in Criminal Justice and Crime Control, focusing on modern slavery. Her MA dissertation explored the effectiveness of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) in identifying and protecting potential victims of modern slavery in the UK.
Sophie is currently the Operations Manager at the Wilberforce Institute and the Project and Impact Manager for the Violence Prevention Partnership/Violence Reduction Unit.