From Conflict to Modern Slavery The Drivers and the Deterrents

From Conflict to Modern Slavery considers the lives of people after they have fled conflict and arrived in the UK. The book draws on insights from interviews with those who have experienced the UK immigration system, and observations are made about how the country's government and its restrictive and hostile immigration policies can increase the risk of modern slavery in the UK. With a broad definition of conflict as an organising concept, and which encourages understandings that go beyond war, this work contextualises these stories to understand why some people appear to be more at risk than others when escaping conflict situations. The work considers the ways in which conflict can facilitate modern slavery and how conflict limits people's agency and the legitimate options available to them. It is this restriction of agency in the face of inherently risky options, coupled with a disruption in support networks, that puts them at most risk of modern slavery. From Conflict to Modern Slavery's strength lies in its unique empirical focus on a comparison between first-hand accounts. It offers personal insights into the experiences of asylum seekers, refugees, and victims of modern slavery, and situates these within extant literature to identify specific aspects of people's journeys that can make them vulnerable to exploitation.

1 - Introduction and Current Context
2 - Defining Slavery and Conflict
3 - Current Understandings of Conflict and Modern Slavery
4 - Fleeing Conflict to Modern Slavery
5 - Fleeing Conflict to Safety
6 - Generating the Conditions for Risk
7 - From Victim Blaming to Victim Agency
8 - Conclusion

Alicia Heys is a Lecturer in Modern Slavery, Wilberforce Institute, University of Hull. She was awarded her PhD in Social Justice at the University of Hull in 2019. She works on issues of modern slavery, human trafficking, and labour exploitation, and has a particular interest in issues of agency, representation, and policy. Alicia works closely with practitioners to shape her research and share findings so that they have maximum input on the ground.