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Biography
Pamela Vargas-Gorena is a Bolivian lawyer and doctoral researcher at the University of Nottingham. Her research explores how legal cultures shape the understanding and enforcement of anti-trafficking laws in Latin America. The full project details are available on the UKRI website here.
She holds a first-class LLB in Law, along with LLMs in Administrative and Constitutional Law from leading universities in Latin America. As a recipient of the Chevening Scholarship, Pamela earned an MSc in Public Policy at the University of Bristol, where she received the 'Kobra Ahmadi Best International Student Award'. Most recently, she completed her MA in Social Science Research with Distinction at the University of Nottingham as part of her ESRC DTP Studentship.
Before joining the School of Politics, Pamela served as Chief Legal Adviser to the Cabinet Office in her home country, where she led numerous government and nonprofit initiatives. She has conducted extensive research for government departments and international organisations such as UNDP, UN-Habitat, ILO, and IOM. As a former lecturer in Constitutional Law and Human Rights, her work reflects a strong commitment to advancing human rights through governance, effective policy design, and bridging the gap between black letter law and its practical enforcement.
Expertise Summary
Pamela specialises in public policy, devolution, constitutional law, and human rights, with a focus on children's rights, economic, social and cultural rights, modern slavery, and human trafficking.
Research Summary
Pamela's doctoral research explores the nuances and interpretations of anti-trafficking provisions in Latin America from a regional and comparative perspective. Through a mixed-methods, nested… read more
Recent Publications
CELIKSOY, E., SCHWARZ, K., SAWYER, L., VARGAS-GORENA, P., CIUCCI, S., YIN, Y., AND DURAN, L., 2024. Prevention and Identification of Children and Young Adults Experiencing, or at Risk of Modern Slavery in the UK University of Nottingham, Rights Lab and ECPAT UK.
LOTT, N., VARGAS-GORENA, P. AND SCHWARZ, K., 2023. Advancing a Child Rights Informed Approach to Antislavery Policy and Practice: Research to Action (RTA) Report International Labour Organization and International Organization on Migration, University of Nottingham, Rights Lab.
Current Research
Pamela's doctoral research explores the nuances and interpretations of anti-trafficking provisions in Latin America from a regional and comparative perspective. Through a mixed-methods, nested analysis spanning global, regional, and national scales, her study examines patterns and trends in the adoption and enforcement of anti-trafficking laws across the region, with a particular focus on the influence of legal culture. The outcomes of this research are designed to inform and directly contribute to the advocacy and research initiatives of her collaborating partner, the Walk Free Foundation.
Currently based at the Rights Lab, Pamela's work centres on legislative and policy-focused research addressing modern slavery and other forms of exploitation, emphasising their intersections with human rights and development.
Past Research
Pamela's research expertise spans comparative law, jurisprudence, and the evaluation of government laws, policies, and institutional capacities. She has worked with the United Nations Development Programme to evaluate local government capacities and contributed to research for UN-Habitat that informed Bolivia's First National Urban Policy. More recently, as part of the Rights Lab research team, Pamela worked with the International Labour Organisation on mapping and costing policy interventions for the global eradication of forced labour, as well as with the International Migration Organization on exploring the theoretical intersections between modern slavery and children's rights.