Modern Slavery Cultural Resources

A key element in building trust with victims of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking is to understand them as well as we possible can.

Law enforcement agencies involved in MSHT cases respond to a high proportion of victims who are foreign nationals, so there is a demand for cultural competency. Police officers who are equipped with tailored cultural resources that acknowledge specific cultural needs are better positioned to gain the necessary trust of victims.

The cultural resources the unit is developing a series of Webinar presentations, with expert presenters, including those from NGOs, academia and law enforcement . The resources accompanied by the webinar aims to provide:

an insight into the culture
an understanding of the journey and history of a victim that can assist in identifying the types of abuses they may have experienced
understanding the barriers faced in disclosing what has happened in their past, acknowledging trauma and thereby assisting with engagement and building trust.

Various contacts with credentials in this area have been interviewed from law enforcement, the NGO sector and academia. Lived experience knowledge has also been consulted on to ensure the resource is credible and consists of balanced material.

The resource consists of short sections including those on:

historical background
useful greetings/phrases
taboo subjects
key cultural elements
reasons for migration
family structure and gender dynamics
interaction with authority

The resources can be accessed via the links below:

Albanian Cultural Resources

Romanian Cultural Resource

Vietnamese Cultural Resources

Please note a small amount of sensitive information has been removed from the resources.

Cultural Cue Cards

Each of the cultural resources above includes download of a "Cue card". Each contains a few useful phrases in the potential victim's own language, with English translation, to assist officers when they first encounter the potential victim.