By Fatmata Bintu Sesay, with additional research by Sosa Henkoma. Fatmata and Sosa are independent consultants with lived experience of modern slavery, who were commissioned by Hope for Justice for this research and report. Report edited by Euan Fraser, Senior Policy and Research Advisor, Hope for Justice. Foreword by Elle Williams, Child Trafficking Transition Specialist & IMSA, Hope for Justice.
Aim: Hope for Justice is person-centred in our response to modern slavery. We work for 
the best possible outcomes for our clients and beneficiaries, addressing the unique and sensitive needs of the individuals, families and communities affected by modern slavery. Our policy recommendations are also shaped by those who have lived experience of modern slavery. Within our team of Independent Modern Slavery Advocates® (IMSAs®), our Child Trafficking Transition Specialist works alongside young survivors as they turn 18, helping them to access the systems and services they require to continue their recovery.
To highlight the many difficulties and barriers that young people face during this period of transition, we have committed to provide learning from the insights and experiences of young people themselves. We commissioned two independent consultants with lived experience of modern slavery to conduct a desk-based literature review of the systems and services which young people must navigate, and to interview young people about their experiences of the support they received or would like to receive. The resulting insights highlight what is also the conclusion of our team when working with young people: there are insufficient safeguards in place to ensure continuity of support for survivors as they move into adulthood.
With Thanks: We are extremely grateful to Fatmata Sesay and Sosa Henkoma for their work on this project. Their diligence and expertise were invaluable in documenting young people’s experiences, and offering recommendations as to how the system of support might be improved. Fatmata is a lived experience consultant who has provided vital insight over recent years to Hope for Justice and our partners as we developed the National Framework for Independent Modern Slavery Advocates®. Sosa is Director of Unique Talent, who helped to facilitate the interviews for this report, and a member of the Human Trafficking Foundation’s Lived Experience Advisory Panel. We are also grateful to the young people who took part in the interviews for this paper and who provided crucial insights as to their priorities and experiences. We greatly appreciate the time they gave to this project. Thank you to Nick Herbert, Projects and Partnerships Lead at the Human Trafficking Foundation, for his assistance in making the interviews with young people possible. Hope for Justice’s Child Trafficking Transition Specialist IMSA, Elle Williams, was critical in guiding this project, drawing upon her considerable experience of working in this area. She also conducted interviews with several clients, and ensured the insights gathered represent the experiences of survivors from diverse backgrounds.
Limitations: While every effort has been made to outline accurately the appropriate legal and policy framework, this is not intended to be a formal piece of academic research. Its focus is on the voices of young people who experience that framework in a variety of ways, and what we can learn from that lived experience. This is a complex area and each young person is unique, with their own experience as they transition to adulthood and navigate systems and services. Interviews were conducted with 12 young people – some in receipt of support, some who were not. Several common themes emerged from these interviews, but it does not necessarily represent a comprehensive picture of every young person’s experience. Similarly, this paper does not attempt to provide a solution to every challenging aspect of law and policy impacting young survivors. Further study is required to identify those solutions.
