Prof Virginia Mantouvalou gives lecture to Commonwealth Parliamentary Association on modern slavery

Professor Virginia Mantouvalou, Professor of Human Rights and Labour Law at UCL Laws, gave an opening speech in a four-day event on 'Legislative Drafting on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking', organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK and hosted in UK Parliament on 26 March 2019. The panel also included the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Urmila Bhoola, and the Commonwealth Envoy, FCO, Philip Parham.

Professor Mantouvalou addressed an audience of parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth - including countries such as Canada, Ghana, Hong Kong, Nigeria and Uganda. The focus of her speech was on the strengths and weaknesses of the UK Modern Slavery Act four years after its enactment. She discussed the case law of the European Court of Human Rights in the area, explained the main aims of the UK Modern Slavery Act and examined whether they have been met, but also highlighted how immigration rules may make certain categories of workers vulnerable to modern slavery.

Professor Mantouvalou¹s lecture was based on her most recent publication on the topic: V Mantouvalou, ‘The UK Modern Slavery Act Three Years On’, (2018) 81 Modern Law Review, 1017-1045.