Rights Lab, University of Nottingham

I am thrilled to be able to announce that I have received a Wellcome Early Career Award for a project developing a reproductive justice framework for modern slavery and human trafficking research and practice. I'm excited to start working on this in the New Year with my wonderful project partners in the UK, Kenya and South Africa Survivor Alliance, Survivors Haven Foundation and Azadi Kenya. A big thank you to Wellcome Trust for funding this project!! https://lnkd.in/dC6-n3TG

On #HumanRightsDay, we are spotlighting Dr Bethany Jackson’s research, which explores the intersection of climate change and child, early, and forced marriage. Climate-related events like droughts and flooding often heighten economic and social pressures that increase the risk of this issue particularly in communities facing displacement and poverty. Dr Jackson’s work within the Rights Lab critically examines these links, highlighting how threats of sexual violence, economic shocks, and cultural practices can drive forced marriage, as a perceived protective measure. However, women also play a vital role as leaders in climate response, and empowering them through knowledge-sharing and resources is key to building resilience. This research reiterates the importance of transdisciplinary approaches to addressing gendered vulnerabilities tied to climate change and fostering long-term solutions. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ejt7PkDp

New research from the University of Nottingham, and funded by Friends Provident Foundation, highlights the role investors and government can play in helping to improve labour standards throughout the English care sector. The adult social care sector in England is both important and troubled, socially and financially. There is evidence of a wide spectrum of abuse, including illegal payments below the level of the national living wage and more serious forms of exploitation, such as debt bondage. The team behind this research, led by Dr Caroline Emberson and co-investigator Dr Subhan Ullah from the University of Nottingham, have made a number of recommendations to investors and the UK government based on this work to improve standards in the sector. Read the full story below ▶️ https://ow.ly/LF5450UoiAO

As we observe #HumanRightsDay, we're encouraged to announce our new Design for Freedom International Guidance & Toolkit is available for download. Twenty-eight million people around the world are held in forced labor conditions, many extracting the materials that go into our homes, schools, office buildings, and landscapes. We echo the UN's statement: "This is the time to mobilize action to reinvigorate a global movement for human rights." The Design for Freedom International Guidance & Toolkit, a comprehensive resource for design and construction professionals to implement ethical and forced-labor-free material sourcing strategies into their practices, builds upon the Design for Freedom Toolkit, published in 2022. In tandem with this release is a further amplification of the global Design for Freedom movement, with Elaine Mitchel-Hill's appointment as the first international lead for Design for Freedom, leading strategic partnerships in India and the UK. "Forced labor in the building materials supply chain is a global issue,” said Sharon Prince, Grace Farms' CEO and Founder. “By expanding our engagement in Europe and Asia and issuing the International Guidance and Toolkit geared towards a growing global audience, we are better poised to address this egregious human rights violation together Through new public and private sector partnerships, we are accelerating a radical paradigm shift to design and build a more humane future for all.” The Guidance features contributions from such experts as: Lindsay Baker, Living Future; Dr. Doreen Boyd, School of Geography, University of Nottingham; Dr. James Cockayne, New South Wales Anti-Slavery Commissioner; Benafsha (Bee) Delgado, UN Global Compact Network UK; Anna Dyson, Yale CEA; Fanny Frémont, Responsible Mica Initiative - RMI; Felix Heisel, Circular Construction Lab, Cornell University; John Morrison, Institute for Human Rights and Business; Jonsara Ruth, Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design; Stefano Savi, Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR); Christopher Sharples, SHoP Architects; Dame Sara Thornton, former Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, U.K.; and Eloise Savill, Anti-Slavery International. The Guidance opens with a contribution by the Right Honorable The Baroness Young of Hornsey OBE. Through this Guidance & Toolkit, which provides new human rights due diligence tools, we can all design and build a more humane future together. Download it now: https://lnkd.in/gNNKd47y

NEW REPORT! Ethics in modern slavery research. This study examined ethical challenges in modern slavery and human trafficking research and explored how inclusive, trauma-informed, and ethically robust practices can enhance both research quality and outcomes for participants. The study identifies four critical areas for improvement: 1️⃣ ethical governance 2️⃣ co-production and participatory methods 3️⃣ trauma-informed approaches 4️⃣ ethical legacies. It highlights the need for reform in institutional structures, clearer onboarding for lived experience experts, specialised training on trauma-informed approaches and a need to consider the legacies of research – both benefits and challenges - for all participants from the outset of projects. The report recommends considering how to move beyond established often top-down ethics frameworks and adopt flexible and inclusive culture of continuous improvement and open dialogue, with structural changes necessary in the longer-term. Read the report: https://lnkd.in/e28JSwQV You can also learn more about this research at our lunchtime seminar on 17 December at 12.30. Register here:  https://lnkd.in/eEMmS2N5 The research was conducted by the University of Liverpool and University of Nottingham. It was commissioned by the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC), part of University of Oxford, which is funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

Ready for pre-order if you’re curious to read case studies of how AI is applied in the field. Thank you to all the contributors for making our book possible. We created this book with the hopes of cross-pollinating ideas across different industries from around the world. It features commentary and real-world applications of AI from experts in technology and academia. A recurring theme is the collaborative relationship between humans and AI, where AI acts as a tool to complement human capabilities. So grateful for my co-editor, Dr. Arathi Sethumadhavan. And grateful to the amazing authors: Blaise Aguera y Arcas, Seth Lazar, Mica Endsley, Evan Selinger, Brenda Leong, Albert Cahn, Refik Anadol, Pelin Kivrak, Todd Landman, James Goulding, Doreen Boyd, Sara Beery, Peter Kulits, Michelle Wu, K K (Qiang Kou), Peng Yuan Zhou, Tristan BRAUD, Lik-Hang (Paul) Lee, PhD, Davide Valeriani, David Barnes, PhD. A special thank you to John Maeda, Kate Crawford, and Ryan Calo for your endorsements. And an extra thank you to Refik Anadol for the cover illustration and to Karen Chappell Arellano for the chapter illustrations. 🙌 #AI #artificialintelligence #tech #innovation #collaboration https://a.co/d/4jwa9xt

🔔 Publication alert! our (Alexander Trautrims Impactt James A Brown Alex Hughes Mahmood Bhutta) newest report underscores the urgent need for #ethicalsourcing and transparency in the health sector's PPE supply chains. Forced labor risks persist. The solution? Stronger accountability, collaboration, and embedding anti-slavery safeguards in procurement. Funded by the #AHRC, our project supports and promotes the uptake and implementation of our previous research recommendations (available here https://lnkd.in/diZzrXdj ) in pursuit of more #sustainablehealthcare #supplychains, using government procurement to leverage positive change. Read the report here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ep_M62tX #ModernSlavery #EthicalSourcing #PPE #HumanRights Carla Canal Rosich Karen Amber Health Care Supply Association (HCSA) NHS Commercial Solutions

The challenges faced by UK farmers are multiple, in a sector that is increasingly losing competitiveness, and it is struggling with labour shortages and unpredictable weather patterns. Businesses operating in the UK agri-food sector are often fully committed to respecting workers’ rights, but that is not an easy task. Findings from a research project led by Lara Bianchi and Oana Burcu, provide recommendations to both farmers and retailers on how to make sure migrant workers can raise concerns when they feel their rights have been abused. The full report (https://lnkd.in/ePS2wnZ3) includes a specific analysis of the UK Seasonal Workers Scheme, and the challenges faced by both businesses and migrant workers in fostering productivity while guaranteeing decent working conditions. Recommendations for buyers include: • Leverage: influence change and normalise the human rights language within the business community • Promote: clarify to suppliers that grievance mechanisms are a risk management tool and not mere fault-finding activities • Support: build the capacity of their suppliers and support smaller farms • Act: function as an escalation point for most severe cases of abuses • Avoid: do not over-rely on audits and quantitative KPIs, as they rarely capture workers’ vulnerabilities and abuses on the ground A collaboration between the Business School and The Rights Lab, University of Nottingham the project was funded by the Research England Quality-related Research Policy Funding to the University of Nottingham Institute for Policy and Engagement.