Our Podcast

Today we’re joined by a sporting superstar who has proven that people can achieve anything, even out of brutal hardships.

Efe Obada is a tough-tackling defensive end in the NFL, and one of few Brits playing in the league. But his journey began when he was trafficked to the U.K. at just ten years old and left homeless, before spending the next decade in the foster care system.

He talks to us about the hardship he’s suffered and how he’s become a symbol of hope for millions around the world, proving that nobody is solely defined by the things that happen to them.We spoke to Efe before the start of the 2023 NFL season.

Joining us today is a woman with more experience in dealing with survivors of modern slavery than most.

After working with traumatised victims of crime across three decades in the Metropolitan Police, Karen now helps to run Bakhita House – a safe house that takes a holistic approach to caring for female survivors of modern slavery. Karen chats to us about how her work in the police informs her approach today, the need for greater governmental support and how Bakhita House always makes it about the survivors themselves, not their trauma.

Joining us are two people whose passion for fighting modern slavery is awe-inspiring. We’re delighted to be joined by Zach Filkins, from the world-famous band OneRepublic, and International Justice Mission’s Molly Hodson!

OneRepublic have used their huge platform to champion the fight against modern slavery and particularly the work of IJM, who have been at the forefront of activism against human trafficking for over 25 years. Zach and Molly chat to us about how their partnership came to be, how more famous people can utilise their platform for good, and how they’ve come across so many inspiring stories of hope while speaking to those affected by this crisis.

We’re delighted to be joined by Ambassador Cindy Dyer, who serves as Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons in President Joe Biden’s administration.

Cindy talks to us about methods the US government is implementing to provide greater protection to survivors of trafficking and how she’s interacted with survivors personally. Plus, we talk about how efforts at the local level are just as important as state and international legislation. 

Joining us in this weeks episode is the wonderful Rose Hudson-Wilkin. Rose became the first black woman to become a bishop in the Church of England, and has since held positions as the Queen’s Chaplain and the Speaker’s Chaplain.

She joined us for an uplifting conversation about how the church supports survivors of trafficking as part of its role in the community, extending that same kindness to everyone around her and how important it is to speak out if you think something might be wrong, in spite of fear or embarrassment.

Joining us for the first episode of our new season is the Rt Hon Theresa May, the former British Prime Minister who has dedicated much of her political career to fighting modern slavery in the UK and overseas.

She welcomed us to her parliamentary offices to talk about how she first became aware of modern slavery, her vital role in the passing of the Modern Slavery Act in 2015 and just how important cooperation is in fighting this global epidemic – across communities, businesses and borders.

For the final episode of the series, we spoke to Dean, a former member of the armed forces working for MITMARK, who our co-founder Julia de Boinville met during her recent trip to the Ukraine- Poland border.

Dean spoke to us about the alarming spike in incidences of human trafficking. He tells us about the various tactics human traffickers are adopting at the border and shares how he’s been helping surveil them. Unfortunately, traffickers are still present at almost all Ukrainian border crossings, and are continuously coming up with new tactics to exploit vulnerable refugees.

Joining us today is Ian Urbina, an investigative journalist whose work exploring sea slavery informed his celebrated book, The Outlaw Ocean.

Ian has travelled across the world to explore how modern slavery touches even the darkest corners of the high seas. He tells us about some of his most challenging trips, how sea slavery touches all of our lives and how we can all help eradicate such an opaque problem.

His most recent series, The Outlaw Ocean, chronicles a diversity of crimes offshore, including the killing of stowaways, sea slavery, intentional dumping, illegal fishing, the stealing of ships, gun running, stranding of crews, and murder with impunity. He has reported from Africa, Asia, Europe, South America and the Middle East, much of that time spent on fishing ships.

Operation Fort remains the largest case of modern slavery ever tried in the UK, and this weeks guest was right at the heart of it. We were joined by Detective Chief Inspector from West Midlands Police, Nick Dale! He was also the Senior Investigating Officer for Operation Fort, the UK’s largest modern slavery investigation, involving about 400 victims, which has led to 12 offenders receiving sentences totalling about 70 years so far. He sat down with us to discuss the inner workings of Operation Fort, how his team helped numerous victims across the country, and the telltale signs of modern slavery in our everyday lives.

This week Cindy joins us to discuss the McCain Institute’s extensive work out on the frontline, how she witnessed human trafficking first-hand in India and how we can all spot signs of human trafficking in our communities.

Cindy McCain is a politician, diplomat and humanitarian who, through setting up the McCain Institute with her late husband John, has dedicated much of her career to fighting human trafficking.

This week we are joined by Kevin Bales, Research Director of The Rights Lab, Professor of Contemporary Slavery at the University of Nottingham and one of the world’s foremost experts in the fight against modern slavery.

The film based on his book Disposable People, which he co-wrote, won the Peabody Award and two Emmys. The Association of British Universities named his work one of “100 World-Changing Discoveries.” He co-founded the US NGO Free the Slaves, a group that has liberated thousands of slaves worldwide. His latest book, Blood and Earth, explores the deadly link between slavery and environmental destruction.

One of the more well-publicised industries tackling modern slavery worldwide is fashion. Today’s guest knows more about the intricacies of that fight than most; it’s former CEO of ASOS, Nick Beighton. ASOS is one of the leading fashion destinations for 20-somethings globally, trading in almost every country in the world.

Late last year, while still CEO of the fashion giant, Nick sat down with Princess Eugenie and Jules to discuss how he helped change ASOS’ values and practices – hoping others do the same – and gave us some great advice about how we can all shop more responsibly. 

In this weeks episode we are joined by consultant clinical psychologist, Dr. Katy Robjant. She specialises in the treatment of PTSD and other trauma related disorders in asylum seekers, refugees and victims of trafficking. 

Katy discusses her work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where she helped former child soldiers who have suffered horrific exploitation for generations, and offers some helpful advice about how we can all take care of our own mental health.

This week we are joined by one of the U.K’s most celebrated actresses, Dame Emma Thompson. Activism has been a key component of her career off-screen, and we wanted to hear more bout her extensive work in fighting trafficking and modern slavery.

Emma discusses how she discovered a friend of hers was kept prisoner in a local massage parlour as well as her role as president in the Helen Bramber Foundation. Emma also discusses adopting a survivor of child slavery, she shares some incredible stories and lessons she’s learned along the way.

This week we are joined by Wumi, a survivor of modern slavery in the U.K. She talks to us about how she found herself in domestic servitude after being trafficked from Nigeria, how difficult it was to report any signs of harm and what can be done to help support millions of people like her across the world.

Our guest this week is Caroline Haughey OBE. She is a QC and all round specialist on modern slavery. Caroline’s expertise and wealth of experience have made her a treasured advisor to government, to policy-makers and to us at The Anti-Slavery Collective. She successfully prosecuted the first case of modern slavery in Britain and, since then, has led the way in Britain’s fight against modern slavery, working across the board to police and prevent human trafficking. Caroline is also a trustee and guiding light of The Anti-Slavery Collective.