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The scope and experience of forced labour in the UK

Details

• Funder: Joseph Rowntree Foundation
• Lead applicant: Dr Sam Scott
• Co-researchers: Olivia Robinson (University of Bristol), Professor Gary Craig (University of Hull), Professor Louise Ackers (University of Liverpool), Dr Alistair Geddes (University of Dundee), Dr Jospeh Assan (University of Liverpool)
• Research centre: Study of Poverty and Social Justice

Summary

The study will examine the scale, scope, and nature of forced labour in the UK. It will adopt the internationally agreed International Labour Organization (ILO) definition of forced labour. This may involve any of the following: 1) Threats or actual physical harm to workers; 2) Restriction of movement and confinement to the workplace; 3) Debt bondage; 4) Withholding of wages or excessive wage reductions; 5) Retention of passports and identity documents; 6) Threat of denunciation to the authorities where the worker has an irregular immigration status.

The research will be based in three UK regions: Central-East Scotland; The Wash; and South-West England. There will be six data collection stages:

1. The legal and policy dimensions of forced labour will be outlined (at a UK and international level);
2. Secondary case material from organisations supporting exploited workers (CABs, Unions, Law Centres) will be reviewed;
3. 30 elite interviews will be carried out with national policy makers in the forced labour field;
4. 3-4 sector ‘round-tables’ will be held covering the areas of the economy most associated with forced labour;
5. Local voluntary and community workers will be consulted in the three study areas via interviews (10 in each area) and focus groups (one in each area);
6. 20 exploited workers will be interviewed at length in each of the three study areas.

The data will be accompanied by a forced labour literature and media review and used to produce two reports: on the ‘scope’ of forced labour in the UK and on the ‘experience’ of forced labour in the UK.