Wednesday, 19 June 2019
The world’s largest online archive of modern slavery survivor testimonies has been launched by experts from the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham.
The VOICES database, which currently houses thousands of stories including an initial 800 that are publicly available, is the world's first and largest collection of survivor testimonies, in their own words. Its development was supported by the AHRC grant 'The Antislavery Usable Past' led at Nottingham.
Across more than a million words, either spoken or written by survivors of modern slavery, experts are using the collection to learn more about why slavery persists in particular hotspots around the world.
Researchers can now analyse patterns to better understand trafficking routes, identify vulnerabilities and the challenges survivors face in liberation, uncover reasons for slavery’s emergence across different sectors, and discover new antislavery solutions.
The narratives vary in length and describe various forms of enslavement, from all over the world .The Rights Lab team has recently mapped these life-stories onto the 169 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets to answer a key question from the point of view of enslaved people themselves: which SDG achievements, beyond 8.7 (ending slavery) are more likely to prevent or end enslavement?
Dr Hannah-Rose Murray, a Research Fellow with the Rights Lab and the Antislavery Usable Past project, said: “The testimonies vary in age, and in length, but all indicate that survivor voices should be the driving force behind the antislavery movement. NGOs, charities, and allies should read, reflect, and respond to survivor testimony and remind themselves they should do what is necessary to change their strategies, initiatives and vision to incorporate as well as nurture survivor leaders in communities around the world.”
Listen to survivors
The voices of the survivors of slavery have largely gone unheard in the creation of antislavery policies and programmes. The Survivor Alliance is redressing this. Find out more in Vision, the University of Nottingham's research and knowledge exchange magazine
Survivors’ narratives should be at the centre of today’s antislavery movement. These narratives offer the chance to systematically design new antislavery strategies based on the experiences, ideas and solutions of enslaved people themselves. The collection is the culmination of many years of work, and we are now pleased to be able to share it publicly, then continue expanding it over the coming years."
Story credits
More information is available from Professor Zoe Trodd in the Rights Lab, at the University of Nottingham at rightslab@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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