Using Survivor Narratives and Storytelling to Ethically Influence Public Policy and Empower Survivors

Rights Lab project lead: Lauren Eglen
Funder: AHRC Impact Accelerator Fund
Duration: June 2023 - January 2024
Programme: Law and Policy

It has been argued that survivor narratives are perhaps the most important tool for the modern antislavery movement because of the ‘depth and breadth of information they provide, the turning points they identify, the awareness they raise, the empathy they evoke and the action they demand’ (Johnson, 2013). Individual experiences can help ascertain the common drivers of modern slavery and identify intervention points for prevention, abolition, and rehabilitation on national and international scales. Yet eight years after the establishment of UN Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 to eradicate modern slavery, the policy impact potential of survivors’ narratives remains under-realised, and survivors and their stories continue to be sensationalised by those who rescue and support them. 

This project aims to demonstrate the efficacy of modern slavery survivor narratives for informing public policy and shaping public understanding of modern slavery. We will work with Azadi Kenya who have expertise in survivor-led ethical storytelling for advocacy to produce tools for the identification of driving factors and potential points of intervention for individuals in modern slavery. We will also design a survivor storytelling curriculum for use by NGOs wanting to work with survivors to ensure stories and narratives are produced ethically in a way that empowers survivors. 

Download our report:

Voices Survivor Narratives for UK Policy and Practice Report