Bakhita Centre for Research on Slavery, Exploitation and Abuse

The Bakhita Centre, formerly the Centre for the Study of Modern Slavery, was established in 2015 to respond to the growing scale of modern slavery and human trafficking globally. The Centre was established to complement the work of Cardinal Vincent Nichols' initiative to combat slavery and trafficking, along with Bakhita House (a London-based safe-house for trafficked women) and the Santa Marta group which seeks to co-ordinate the efforts of law enforcement authorities, NGOs, and governments worldwide.

These activities represent our commitment to the five research pillars of St Mary’s: 

• human dignity and social justice
• health and social wellbeing 
• professional practice and social impact 
• creative industries and wellbeing
• Catholic values and the common good.

Our values align with the values of St Mary’s University, which are:  

• excellence
• respect
• generosity of spirit
• inclusiveness.

Renamed in 2022 after Saint Josephine Bakhita, the Bakhita Centre honours a timeless story of exploitation and abuse experienced by trafficked people on precarious journeys. Saint Josephine Bakhita, born in Darfur Sudan in 1869, was trafficked from Sudan as a young girl, across the Middle East, ending up in Italy. Working for her Italian masters, she was eventually freed with the help of the Canossian Sisters, and converted to Catholicism. She lived as a religious sister until her death in 1947.  She was Canonised in 2000 and is the Patron Saint of victims of human trafficking. Her Feast Day is celebrated on February 8th.

The Bakhita Centre is staffed by ‘pracademics’ - academics with practitioner backgrounds in diverse fields, including:

• human trafficking
• modern slavery
• drug and alcohol
• homelessness
• refugee services.

The team partners with practitioners including those from statutory and voluntary sectors. We aim to make a difference to people affected by human trafficking, modern forms of slavery and intersecting issues of abuse and exploitation.   

Since its establishment in 2015, the Centre has built up a strong network of partners. Honorary Research Fellows active in the Centre have expertise in:

• social work
• policing (victim identification and protection and tackling organised crime)
• business (exploitation in supply chains)
• survivor interventions (safe house and community support, policy, criminal justice).

Internal partners at St Mary’s include academic experts in:

• criminology and law
• communications and media
• humanities
• education.

These partnerships enable the Centre to approach the multifaceted issue of modern slavery and human trafficking from a wide-ranging perspective.  

The Bakhita Centre recognises the importance of building a diverse research community. Promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is integral to addressing the social inequality driven and reproduced by modern slavery and other forms of exploitation, including in the research process itself. Our commitment to EDI aligns with research recommendations made by UK BME Anti-Slavery Network (BASNET) and partners. 

The Centre aims to:

• build a vibrant research culture where all who participate in research activity feel respected, included, and heard
• enable equitable and inclusive participation in research, including on research and evaluation teams
• collect, analyse, and report EDI-related data in a meaningful manner
• collaborate and co-design effective EDI practices with communities and people with lived experience.

On February 8th 2023, Sir Mo Farah, Olympian and alumni of St Mary’s University became the first patron of the Bakhita Centre.  

The Centre’s work and various projects have aalso been generously supported by the following funders:  

• The Albert Gubay Foundation 
• Assumption Legacy Fund  
• Sisters of the Holy Cross  
• Congregation Of Our Lady, Canonesses Of St. Augustine CIO  
• Penningtons Law Firm  
• HSBC  
• Co-op  
• Arise Foundation  
• Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF)  
• Strategic Priorities Fund.

The Bakhita Centre is staffed by ‘pracademics’ - academics with practitioner backgrounds in diverse fields, including:  

• human trafficking  
• modern slavery  
• law enforcement  
• drug, alcohol, and homelessness services  
• refugee services.

Internal associates at St Mary’s include academic experts in:  

• criminology and law 
• business, communications, and media  
• humanities and creative arts  
• education.

Since its establishment in 2015, the Centre has built up a strong network of associates. The team partners with practitioners including those from statutory and voluntary sectors. We aim to make a difference to people affected by human trafficking, modern forms of slavery and intersecting issues of abuse and exploitation.     

Honorary Research Fellows active in the Centre have expertise in:  

• social work
• policing (victim identification and protection and tackling organised crime)
• business (exploitation in supply chains)
• survivor interventions (safe house and community support, policy, criminal justice).  

The Centre has worked with other academic institutions on ESRC and AHRC funded research:   

• The Rights Lab, University of Nottingham
• Wilberforce Institute, University of Hull.

And practitioners including:  

• Bakhita House
• Afruca/BASNET
• Helen Bamber Foundation
• Snowdrop
• Stop the Traffic
• Justice and Care
• Women at the Well.

These partnerships enable the Centre to approach the multifaceted issue of modern slavery and human trafficking from a wide-ranging perspective.