Biography
Rachel Witkin has 25 years' experience working on a frontline basis with survivors of trafficking in the fields of teaching, law, advocacy and specialised, long-term safety and support. She directs the MSCOS Community of Practice at Kings College London which creates forums for frontline practitioners, survivor leaders and academics to share their perspectives and methods, find partnerships and link practice. She is the lead author for the ODIHR international National Referral Mechanism (NRM) Handbook, and she works with delegations to advise participating countries on establishing effective NRMs. Having worked alongside Helen Bamber OBE, she is a former Director of the Helen Bamber Foundation, where she devised and managed the HBF Counter-Trafficking Programme. She was previously based at Amnesty International, the British Refugee Council and Winstanley Burgess, a leading human rights law firm. Rachel is co-author of ‘The Trauma Informed Code of Conduct for All Professionals working with Survivors of Trafficking and Slavery,’ on which she speaks and trains for St Mary’s University and internationally. She received the 2015 Marsh Trust national award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Fight Against Modern Slavery,’ presented by Teresa May.