The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner is partnering with Royal Holloway University of London (RHUL) on a new research project titled 'Blood Bricks'. The research addresses the knowledge gap on the dynamic interaction between climate change and vulnerability to modern slavery. The research explores these connections in Cambodia, which is not only the world's second most climate vulnerable country but also has the third highest proportion of modern slaves per capita.

Under these compelling set of circumstances the project focuses on the experiences of brick-kiln workers and the villages they come from. It asks what conditions, climate change related and otherwise, create a heightened vulnerability to modern slavery. It also looks into how this interacts with other factors, such as gender and age, to determine who enters into modern slavery.

In 2018 the project team will produce a review of existing evidence on the relationship between climate change and modern slavery. Later Royal Holloway University of London will host a series of workshops in Cambodia and the UK to share emerging findings. The final research report will be completed in late 2018. Throughout the lifetime of this project the Commissioner will input policy expertise and specialist knowledge.

The study is led by Professor Katherine Brickell in the Department of Geography at RHUL. It is joint funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council and Department for International Development (ESRC-DFID) Development Frontiers Research Fund (2017-2019).

For further information and news on the research please visit the project website and follow on Twitter (@Blood_Bricks).