Modern Slavery Rose planted on St Mary’s Twickenham Campus

In support of The Centre for the Study of Modern Slavery (CSMS) at St Mary's University, Twickenham, and to raise awareness of the plight of victims across the globe, a Modern Slavery Rose first featured at The RHS Chelsea Flower Show last Summer, has been planted in the University’s gardens.

Planted in the Rose Garden at the University to mark the official inauguration of the Centre in February this year, it also marks the second anniversary of the Modern Slavery Act, which received Royal Assent on March 25th 2015.

The rose was part of the Modern Slavery Garden, which was created by Juliet Sargeant for The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 2016. The Modern Slavery Rose was named for the garden and featured within it.

Dr Carole Murphy, Deputy Director of the centre commented, “The purpose of the rose is to remind us that modern slavery is happening all around us, hidden in plain sight. Raising awareness of modern slavery is essential to combatting this criminal and human rights issue locally and globally”.

“The rose was kindly donated by four sisters of the Religious of the Assumption community, who attended the Centre for the Study of Modern Slavery International Conference on the St Mary’s campus last month. We are incredibly grateful for their generosity and thoughtfulness.”

Sr Jessica Gatty added, “Four Assumption sisters arrived at St Mary's last summer to be part of the Chaplaincy Team as volunteers.

“After a wonderful welcome the most memorable event for us was the inauguration of the Centre for the Study of Modern Slavery, the Mass with Cardinal Vincent Nichols, for St Josephine Bakhita, who herself had been held in slavery, and the most impressive and informative conference held here at St Mary's. Our eyes were well and truly opened to the extent of modern slavery here in the United Kingdom and all the many agencies and individuals struggling to combat it and stand up for the right to dignity and freedom of all.

“The rose is a beautiful way of raising awareness of the terrible phenomenon that continues amongst us to the present day. It was a very small gesture to donate one to St Mary's and pray for the success of the work of the Centre.”

The Centre for the Study of Modern Slavery at St Mary's is part of a rich a diverse portfolio of research and study within the University’s School of Arts and Humanities.

High-level academic research has a central role in the activities of the School of Arts and Humanities. In the Research Excellence Framework in 2014, the School was the most prolific across the University, with submissions from History, English Language and Literature, Philosophy, and Communications returning high levels of research outputs judged to be of international excellence.