29 October 2024

Last week, Hestia welcomed Jess Phillips MP, Minister for Safeguarding and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls to a roundtable launch event for the latest in our series of Underground Lives reports – which explore key issues faced by victims and survivors of modern slavery in London.

                             

We were also joined by survivors from our Empowered Voices group, representatives from the Home Office Modern Slavery Unit, the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s Office, the Metropolitan Police and leading modern slavery organisations.  

The research aims to add to the evidence around the mental health needs and experiences of survivors of modern slavery, as well as the impact of face-to-face and specialist support on their mental health.

Reflecting on the findings of the report, Minister Phillips commented:

“We have made some great strides forward in terms of modern slavery support over the past 15 years, and I want to pay tribute to organisations like Hestia who have been part of that progress. Now we have an opportunity to think about what we want to see for the future, and I commit to continuing to listen to the people who actually use services as we think about what is working well, and what needs to be improved.”  

Patrick Ryan, Chief Executive of Hestia added:

“This report highlights the vital importance of establishing trusting relationships and creating a sense of community for survivors’ recovery. Helping those we support to feel less alone, to know that they have someone on their side, bringing people together and enabling them to navigate the complex systems they find themselves in - these are things that must be preserved as we look to shape future support for modern slavery survivors in the UK.”

Special thanks to our partners at Bird & Bird for hosting the roundtable.

                           

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