Covid-19 risk and response: Impacts and mitigations for modern slavery victims and survivors
Duration: 24 Jul 2020 to 23 Nov 2021
Project team: Dr Alison Gardner is Co-I
Project summary
As the UN explained, Covid-19 “is likely to increase the scourge of modern-day slavery.” Victims and survivors of modern slavery are at greater risk of ongoing exploitation and re-exploitation. Traffickers will increase recruitment and seek to maintain revenue during economic crisis. Victim identification has become even more challenging as States shift protection resources towards combatting the pandemic.
This project responds to many warnings by the policy community that, as the UN noted on May 5, “inaction could lead to a sharp rise in the number of people being pushed into slavery” because of Covid-19. The complexity of the risk environment may impede mitigation unless risks can be assessed in an efficient way. We therefore answer the question: what are the accrued risks and mitigating responses of Covid-19 for victims and survivors of modern slavery? To answer this key question, we answer the sub-questions: What are the causal pathways throughout which mitigations are expected to work? Do these efforts reflect survivors’ experiences?
Derived from disaster response techniques and public health frameworks, our participatory risk assessment includes interview, survey and web-monitoring data. Our multi-method design includes qualitative and quantitative surveys, public information monitoring, evidence reviews, and risk analysis. We adopt a multi-level approach to consider risk and assess against a framework adapted from our social determinants model. As we assess risk, we analyse responses and recommend mitigations.