Royal Recognition for Wilberforce Institute

Walking in the footsteps of one of Hull's most famous sons, William Wilberforce, our researchers are helping to tackle modern day slavery.

According to the International Labour Organisation, 45.8 million people are enslaved worldwide in an illegal trade worth £150 billion across 167 countries. That number is higher now than at any point in history.

In 2015, the Wilberforce Institute was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its outstanding contribution to uncovering the real extent of slavery around the globe, and highlighting how learning lessons from the past can improve our future.

The award was announced at a ceremony at St James' Palace in London attended by the University's Chancellor, Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone, and the then Vice-Chancellor, Professor Calie Pistorius. The actual presentation took place at Buckingham Palace in February 2016.

The Queen's Anniversary Prizes are awarded every two years to universities and colleges who submit work that’s judged to be beneficial for the institution itself and for people and society generally. The prizes are regarded as the most prestigious form of recognition for UK academic and vocational institutions.

John Oldfield, Director of the Wilberforce Institute, said: “Winning the Queen's Anniversary Prize is a huge honour that demonstrates the cutting-edge nature of our work and is a great tribute to our colleagues, past and present. It confirms our position as one of the leading institutions of our kind in the world and shines a light on this critical contemporary issue.”

Baroness Bottomley added: “We are absolutely delighted that our world-leading work in the study of both historic and contemporary slavery has received this great honour. It is a proud day for everyone at the University of Hull.”