You can find all of our MSCOS updates here.
Our MSCOS updates are sent to all subscribers (you can join us here). These feature practitioners across the anti-trafficking sector, sharing their work and their perspectives on practice.
Click into each "Read more here" for the summaries and full versions in PDF format.
Our MSCOS updates are sent to all subscribers (you can join us here). These feature practitioners across the anti-trafficking sector, sharing their work and their perspectives on practice.
Click into each "Read more here" for the summaries and full versions in PDF format.
March 2024
Update 24
March 2024
March 2024
Focus of the week: Contributors:
- Peter Parker, from our MSCOS Research Advisory Board,
- Anna Skeels, Research Fellow, SARK, Cardiff University,
- Angeliki Argyriou, Clinical Psychologist, Helen Bamber Foundation,
- Imogen Spencer-Chapman, Head of Operations, Training and Quality Practice, ECPAT UK,
- Kirsty Thomson, Senior Director of Europe, KIND.
- Arnas Tamasauskas, MSCOS Community of Practice Facilitator and Neuropsychology Researcher
READ THE FULL UPDATE HERE
December 2023
Update 23
December 2023
December 2023
Focus of the week: Contributors:
- Sohail Janesari, Research Fellow and MSCOS Ethics Advisor
- Sian Oram, Reader in Women's Mental Health at King's College London
- Patricia Hynes, Professor of Social Justice, Sheffield Hallam University
- Kirsty Thomson, Senior Director of Europe for Kids In Need of Defence (KIND)
- Jerome Elam, Founder and CEO of Trafficking in America task Force and Vice Chair, International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council (ISTAC), and a US Marine Corps Veteran
- Arnas Tamasauskas, MSCOS Community of Practice Facilitator and Neuropsychology Researcher
READ THE FULL UPDATE HERE
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October 2023
Week 22
31 October 2023
31 October 2023
Focus of the week: Contributors:
- Phillipa King, Managing Director of Shiva foundation
- Keith Lewis, MSCOS Research Advisory Board and Committee Member of the British Standards Institute
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Safety from any trafficker or other abusers
- Phillipa King, Managing Director of Shiva foundation spoke to us about the recent report, Understanding the Potential of Licensing Frameworks and Teams to Tackle Modern Slavery in the UK “The untapped potential of licensing provides a promising pathway for modern slavery prevention. With collaborative efforts from national and local authorities, we can transform routine procedures into powerful tools"
- At the recent Cyprus Forum speaking a on a panel focused on business and human rights, Keith Lewis described being ‘trafficked ‘in plain sight’ and explained how he connects this experience to his proposal for the strengthening of existing health and safety licensing. "It is not only about doing a normal job without being paid, which is a terrible thing. It is also arduous work, using dangerous tools and labouring over long periods of time in which you feel exhausted. The potential for injury is high. We were given hazardous work tools and conditions with no health and safety regulations, and we were not given protective clothing or equipment of any kind. From day to day, I couldn’t wash myself on the site where I lived; I had no access to a toilet and no running water. We had to use public rest rooms or toilets. Washing on the site meant being able to get water and boil a kettle. I slept in small caravans or sheds which I was forced to share with strangers, sometimes I had to share a bed with a stranger as well: we had to lie top to tail. To me, licensing for health and safety, says it all – on any site or in any venue if you are not healthy and you are not safe because you are in modern slavery, it should apply to you"
- Louise Crisfield, Parner, Miles and Partners discusses the draft Houses in Multiple Occupation (Asylum Seeker Accommodation) (England) Regulations 2023. “Without any consultation, the UK Government has laid a draft statutory instrument which will deprive people who are in asylum accommodation from the protective measures reggulating multiple occupation housing (HMOs) under the 2004 Housing Act. In simple terms, asylum seekers’ accommodation will not be licenced or have any outside regulation in relation to its condition. This means that the only regulation people claiming asylum will have is contained in the contractual terms between their accommodation provider and the Government’s Home Office."
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September 2023
Update 21
26 September 2023
26 September 2023
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Safety from any trafficker or other abuser
- The role of the Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC) has been vacant since Sarah Thornton’s departure in April 2022. This role needs to be functional and sustained to further progress and build upon the UK’s national and international anti-trafficking responses and ensure advocacy for the rights of victims and survivors. A lack of central and effective representation results in setbacks and gaps in protection.
- In October 2020, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission was designated Ireland’s National Rapporteur on Human Trafficking. It is tasked with providing ‘independent and meaningful oversight of the State’s actions to combat human trafficking and to protect victims by highlighting the strengths, gaps, and identifying trends in the overall response. In addition to gathering data and measuring results, the Commission endeavours to contribute to the positive developments in the area aimed at achieving full compliance with modern human rights standards, as well as proactively responding to emerging and unforeseen issues.”
- Trafficking in Human Beings in Ireland: The second Evaluation Report on the progress made and actions undertaken by the State to address and combat human trafficking, in all its forms is a resource for national policy makers, practitioners, researchers, and the general public. It examines the pressing and emerging trends in trafficking, including how technology is facilitating trafficking; the increase in labour exploitation and the impact of the war in Ukraine on increasing the risk of trafficking. It details the drafting of a new anti-trafficking National Action Plan, the launch of the Third Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence Strategy (recognising human trafficking as a form of gender-based violence) and the publication of the General Scheme Criminal Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking) Bill, establishing a National Referral Mechanism (NRM). It assesses actions and outcomes undertaken during the reporting period (2022) with reference to the articles of the EU AntiTrafficking Directive (see below)
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August 2023
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Update 19 9 August 2023 Focus of the week:Contributors:
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Safety from any trafficker or other abuser
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Update 18 2 August 2023 Focus of the week:Contributors:
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Safety from any trafficker or other abuser
Finding purpose in life and self-actualisation
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Update 20
9 August 2023
9 August 2023
Focus of the week:
- Safety from traffickers/abusers
- Access to healthcare/medical treatment
- Trauma-informed services
- Purpose in life and self-actualisation
- Beth Mullan-Feroze, Helen Bamber Foundation
- British Medical Journal
- Brook and Peter Parker, MSCOS Research Advisory Board
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Safety from any trafficker or other abuser
- Beth Mullan-Feroze, HBF Counter-Trafficking Legal & Policy Manager explains the recent report Leave in Limbo: Survivors of Trafficking with uncertain immigration status, calling for all survivors of trafficking with a positive, final (‘Conclusive Grounds’) decision from the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) to be automatically granted recourse to public funds, appropriate support in accordance with their individual needs, and a leave to remain in the UK for at least 30 months, with viable routes to settlement.
- British Medical Journal article, Health workers are in a unique position to help identify human trafficking (BMJ 2023;382:p1745) makes the case that health workers are uniquely situated to identify, treat, and protect trafficked persons and that ‘front line health workers are often the only public sector employees to meet trafficked persons during their ordeal.’
- Brook and Peter Parker of the MSCOS Research Advisory Board gave some insight on the role of makeup and craft in Finding Purpose in Life and Self-Actualisation.
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JULY 2023
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Update 17 21 July 2023 Focus of the week:Contributors:
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Safety from any trafficker or other abuser
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Update 16 13 July 2023 Focus of the week:Contributors:
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Safety from any trafficker or other abuser
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Update 15
6 July 2023
6 July 2023
Focus of the week:Contributors:
- Keith Lewis, MSCOS Research Advisory Board
- David Adamson, British Standards Institute
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Secure and suitable housing
- Impact in practice by changes to licensing by the UK Government for new accommodation to house asylum applicants
- Keith Lewis, Committee Member of the British Standards Institute (BSI) believes that the use of licensing and regulation of standards, whether it is for public venues, workplaces, private rented housing or state-provided accommodation, offers a prevention tool for the prevention of human trafficking and modern slavery
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June 2023
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Update 14 15 June 2023 Focus of the week:Contributors:
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Access to medical treatment
Finding purpose in life and self-actualisation
Other features:
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Update 13 8 June 2023 Focus of the week:Contributors:
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Finding purpose in life and self-actualisation
Access to medical treatment
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May 2023
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Update 12 23 May 2023 Focus of the week:Contributors:
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Finding purpose in life and self-actualisation
Access to education
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Update 10
3 May 2023
3 May 2023
Focus of the week:Contributors:
- Professor Patricia Hynes, Sheffield Hallam University
- Dr Kemi Komolafe, Helen Bamber Foundation
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Relevant frameworks for children and young people
Access to medical treatment
- Professor Patricia Hynes, Professor of Social Justice at Sheffield Hallam University explains the Creating Stable Futures Positive Outcomes Framework for children. This research project aimed to understand what positive outcomes for young people would look like, and what the pathways towards these positive outcomes might be. It examines how to ensure protection and support for children who have experienced modern slavery.
Access to medical treatment
- Dr Kemi Komolafe, Clinical Psychologist, Helen Bamber Foundation emphasises the importance of advocating and protecting children and young people through our work. That means working on the prevention of harm, intervening early and prioritising the mental health of known survivors and the children of adult survivors.
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April 2023
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Update 9 18 April 2023 Focus of the week:Contributors:
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Safety from any trafficker or other abuser:
Access to medical treatment
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Update 8 18 April 2023 Focus of the week:Contributors:
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Access to medical treatment:
Other features
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Update 7
5 April 2023
5 April 2023
Focus of the week:Contributors:
- Independent Modern Slavery Advocates, British Red Cross, Hope for Justice, The Snowdrop Project
- Dragana Wright, Helen Bamber Foundation
- Rosie Bacon, ATLEU
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Long-term, consistent support:
Other features
- The Independent Modern Slavery Advocate (IMSA) Model has been developed by the British Red Cross, Hope for Justice and The Snowdrop Project, together with Independent Consultants with Lived Experience of Modern Slavery. This provides a framework for the accreditation of Independent Modern Slavery Advocates (IMSA), to establish a model of advocacy that is standardised and can be replicated throughout the UK.
- Dragana Wright, Counter-Trafficking Casework Manager, Helen Bamber Foundation describes why a trusting, long-term professional relationship with survivors is necessary, to recognise the nuances of their presentation during each interaction, especially as the likelihood and severity of a client’s risk is rarely static; a person’s situation can rapidly change.
- Rosie Bacon, Activism and Engagement Manager (Lived Experience), ATLEU, describes her new role in initiating a Lived Experience Network for facilitators, activists, researchers and others who are developing similar spaces in a professional capacity across the anti-trafficking sector to come together to share updates, learning and opportunities for joint working. She has also set up an induction programme and pilot advisory group for survivor leaders.
Other features
- Keith Lewis speaks at the Innovation Forum on the crucial importance of raising awareness of the prevalence of human trafficking and how it operates in plain sight, and the need for centralising survivor voices when designing business programs / advocating for changes to policy.
- Shiva Foundation's launch of the Self-Assessment Scorecard which allows local authorities to easily assess their modern slavery risk across the key thematic areas mentioned above and provides advice on how they can improve
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March 2023
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Update 6 28 March 2023 Focus of the week:Contributors:
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Safety from any trafficker or other abuser
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Update 5 21 March 2023 Focus of the week:Contributors:
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Secure and suitable housing
Compassionate, trauma-informed services
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Update 4 14 March 2023 Focus of the week:Contributors:
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Update 3 7 March 2023 Focus of the week:
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Febraury 2023
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Update 2 28 February 2023 Focus of the week: Contributors:
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Safety from any trafficker or other abuser
Safety from any trafficker or other abuser
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