Wilberforce Institute

Do you want to contribute to critical debate on human rights?   The Wilberforce Institute is pleased to invite submissions to the third round of the Subedi Essay Prize where the winner will be awarded £500. https://lnkd.in/eZWbTZBM   The prize was established through the generous support of University of Hull alumnus, Professor Surya Subedi. Surya is now a Professor of International Law at the University of Leeds and a visiting faculty member on the international human rights law programme at the University of Oxford.   The prize will be awarded each year to the author of the best original essay on the abolition of modern forms of slavery or the protection of human dignity worldwide.   Last year’s winner was Yelyzaveta Monastyrova and her essay can be read here. https://lnkd.in/eTv_3xaR Key points: ·      Essays must be between 3,000-5,000 words and written in English by one author. ·      Authors must be a graduate in law, social sciences or humanities and below 40 years old at the age of submission. ·      Submissions should be made via email to [email protected] before the deadline of midnight on 31st December 2024. ·      Full terms and conditions available here: https://lnkd.in/eZWbTZBM

To Heal a Butterfly: the researcher and the artist reflect Dr Cassandra Gooptar, Wilberforce Institute researcher and artist Deanio X share their experiences of working on and their insights into the ‘To Heal a Butterfly’ exhibition in this blog: https://lnkd.in/eHs_3Gwm Through the project, the artist and researcher shared their “perspectives on freedom fighters in the Caribbean and the importance of emphasising resistance, agency and emancipation coming from the enslaved people themselves”. The artworks “seek to highlight an area of research in Britain’s imperial past through a combination of improvisational portraiture, digital animation and sculptural installation and have been created as a visual response to the Wilberforce Institute's research on the Sea Islands & Jamaica enslavement records”. The exhibition, developed with Hull Museums with support from the award-winning Wilberforce House Advisory Group is on display at the Wilberforce House Museum until April 2025. Arrange your visit to the exhibition https://lnkd.in/eFmDuACn

Submissions for the Subedi Essay Prize close on 31st December. Get the information: https://lnkd.in/eZWbTZBM Don’t miss this opportunity to add your voice to critical debate on human rights. A £500 prize will be awarded to the winner.

In this blog, https://lnkd.in/exD_FfSy Dr Isabel del Pilar Arce Zelada looks back on her PhD research activities at the University of Hull, as she moves on to a Postdoctoral Researcher position. The experience allowed her to think, challenge and write and led her “closer to the people who matter, the ones exposed to, and fighting, different oppressive forms of governance.

The time has come to take the risks of climate-induced modern slavery seriously For UN Human Rights Day, Dr Daniel Ogunniyi, Modern Slavery Lecturer at the University of Hull, discusses the impacts of climate change on human rights and argues that the time for action is now. Read the article. https://lnkd.in/eztXPxyC UN Human Rights Day marks the anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948. “Unlike the traditional forms of human rights violations attributable to state agents and other private actors, climate change has rather emerged as the invisible actor with severe and sometimes more devastating human rights impacts.” Dr Daniel Ogunniyi, Modern Slavery Lecturer, University of Hull

For last week’s International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, Professor Simon Green, Wilberforce Institute, Director, talks about the four interlocking themes of vulnerability to modern slavery: desperation, entitlement, isolation and disruption, in this interview aired on Voices of Islam. The interview runs from 27:50 – 46:00 Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eq5H2Xxc He also talks about the positive actions communities can take. 

This one’s worth a read in my opinion! Proud to say that Craig’s research was undertaken at Wilberforce Institute! University of Hull

Sign up for the last in our series of public lectures before Christmas. Louise Gleich will talk about 'Slavery in our Communities' tomorrow, Wednesday 4 December, at 16.30 GMT. Click here to join us at the Wilberforce Institute or online: https://lnkd.in/e7DhpSch Refreshments served from 16.15 and there is a chance to meet the speaker after the event. Louise Gleich is a Senior Policy Researcher in the Joint Modern Slavery Policy Unit led by the anti-slavery charity Justice and Care and think tank the Centre for Social Justice. In this talk, she will explore the evolving nature of modern slavery in the UK, with a particular focus on criminal and labour exploitation. She will consider the wider impact of exploitation on communities and discuss the need for policy change to prevent exploitation and improve the response to perpetrators and survivors. Book now: https://lnkd.in/e7DhpSch

On the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, Dr Alicia Heys invites us to “reflect on the realities of exploitation, consider the barriers to effectively tackling it, & contemplate how each of us can play a part in reducing its prevalence." https://lnkd.in/ematbsBs Alicia is a Senior Lecturer in Modern Slavery at the University of Hull, where she researches issues of policy, agency, representation and legal enforcement. She has conducted in depth research into the relationship between conflict and human trafficking, and she also works to bridge the gap between academia and practice, working with practitioners to shape and share her research. She is Chair of the Humber Modern Slavery Partnership and a Co-Investigator on the AHRC's Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre. In her blog, Alicia turns her attention to the policies underpinning UK responses to modern slavery, saying: "Policies aimed at deterring immigration often overlook the vulnerabilities of those trafficked across borders, conflating their experiences of exploitation with unlawful migration. This approach risks punishing victims of modern slavery for immigration offences, rather than recognising them as victims in need of support." Read the blog: https://lnkd.in/ematbsBs #modernslavery The Salvation Army UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Amnesty International Humberside Police Hull City Council

Lovely evening at the Times Higher Education Awards in Birmingham. Alas, we did not win the award for Knowledge Exchange, but we enjoyed ourselves and knew our work as a team united by friendship, and the desire to make heritage more inclusive means we are winners too. #ubuntu