The Truth about Modern Slavery

Join the Centre for Research in Economic Sociology and Innovation and the Centre for Criminology for an insightful online seminar with Emily Kenway.

Emily Kenway is a writer and activist. As a former advisor to the UK's first Anti-Slavery Commissioner she was at the heart of modern slavery action. She has worked in social justice for 10 years and has written for the Guardian, Times Literary Supplement, Independent, Huffington Post and more.

In 2019, over 10,000 possible victims of slavery were found in the UK. From men working in Sports Direct warehouses for no pay, to teenaged Vietnamese girls trafficked into small town nail bars, we’re told that modern slavery is all around us, operating in plain sight. But is this really slavery, and is it even a new phenomenon? Why has the British Conservative Party called it ‘one of the great human rights issues of our time’, when they usually ignore the exploitation of those at the bottom of the economic pile? The Truth About Modern Slavery (Pluto Book, 2021) reveals how modern slavery has been created as a political tool by those in power. It shows how anti-slavery action acts as a moral cloak, hiding the harms of the ‘hostile environment’ towards migrants, legitimising big brands’ exploitation of the poorest workers and oppressing sex workers.

This seminar is an online open seminar series, hosted by the Centre for Research in Economic Sociology and Innovation and Centre for Criminology.