Modern Slavery and Human Rights: Migrant Workers in the Agricultural and Care Sectors in the UK
Contemporary forms of slavery and exploitation, including forced labour, debt bondage, and domestic servitude, are some of the most pressing human rights issues of today. In this webinar, Professor Tomoya Obokata, the current UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery since 2020, will discuss his mandate and views on states’ and non-state actors' responses to these concerns.
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The event will also focus in on the agricultural and care sectors in the UK, in which exploitation and abuse have been widely documented, with new restrictive visa schemes introduced in the post-Brexit shake up of UK immigration rules. Drawing on a 2024 report on migrant workers in the agricultural and care sectors alongside other research, it will explore how restrictive visa conditions combine with shortcomings in enforcement of employment rights and unscrupulous recruitment practices to make workers susceptible to forms of contemporary slavery and exploitation, such as forced labour and debt bondage. We will also consider developments since the report’s publication, such as the Immigration White Paper, curtailment of the care worker visa, and introduction of new labour enforcement measures, and their implications for addressing exploitation in these sectors and beyond.
Time: Tuesday 28 October 2025, 13.00 – 14.00
Teams Webinar Link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/a3add72c-e8c2-4092-85b5-e5a28ee7a6c9@7250d88b-4b68-4529-be44-d59a2d8a6f94
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Speakers
- Professor Tomoya Obokata of the University of York, the current UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery.
- Dr Inga Thiemann of Leicester Law School, Primary Investigator of the research leading to the 2024 report.
- Dr Natalie Sedacca of Durham Law School, a co-investigator on the report.
The event is organised by Durham’s Human Rights and Public Law Centre, and will be chaired by Centre member and former Co-Director, Dr Alice Nah, with time for Q&A and discussion.
This event will take place online via Teams.