About
Research
Email: carole.murphy@stmarys.ac.uk
Tel: 020 8240 4205
Biography
Carole Murphy is Professor of Sociology and Applied Research at St Mary’s University and Director of the Bakhita Centre for Research on Slavery, Exploitation and Abuse. Carole played a key role in establishing the Centre, formerly the Centre for the Study of Modern Slavery, ensuring a focus on victim/survivor support needs, practice interventions and policy impact.
She is especially committed to developing training for practitioners who work with victims of abuse and exploitation and exploring opportunities for collaboration with people with lived experience to develop resources for educational opportunities and professional practice.
Her main research interests are in human trafficking, modern slavery, exploitation, and abuse, and examining intersections with social problems, inequalities, addiction, and health/mental health issues.
Research
Areas of research supervision
- Modern slavery
- Human trafficking
- Exploitation abuse (domestic, sexual, other)
- Gender-based violence
- Addiction
Research profile
PhD supervision
Completions
- #AntiSlaveryDay and #WorldDayAgainstTrafficking: A comparative analysis of the framing and social construction of modern slavery and human trafficking on Instagram (Completed January 2024 with minor corrections)
- Exploring the Efficacy of the Legal Framework and Interventions in Tackling Sexual and Gender Based Violence against Females in Internally Displaced Persons’ Camps in the Northeast Nigeria (Completed September 2023 with minor corrections)
- Protecting children in the Philippines who are sexually exploited: evidence of frontline responses from the NGO context (Completed with minor corrections March 2022)
- Social media-based research of public opinion and press coverage on irregular migrants in the United Kingdom, 2015-2018 (Completed with minor corrections December 2021)
Current supervisions
- Trafficking into labour: a qualitative study on statutory failings, cultural expectations and access to education for children in the Ashanti region
- Developing a coherent approach to Human Trafficking in Ireland with a focus on forced labour.
Publications
- Brachou, A., Lazzarino, R., Murphy, C. and Karra Swan, E. (2025). Understanding Albanian Culture of Migration: The role of the family in precarious journeys and human trafficking, Anti-Trafficking Review
- Tran, Diem-Tu and Murphy, C. (2025) The unifying role of food for forced migrants’ entrepreneurial activities and their settlement in London, Ecology of Food and Nutrition.
- Barlow, C. and Murphy, C. (2025) The Organisation of Modern Slavery in Kapardis, M., Clark, C., and Dion, M. (eds). The Palgrave Handbook of Modern Slavery
- Brachou, A., Murphy, C., Karra, E., and Lazzarino, R. (2024) Cultural influences and cultural competency in the prevention and protection of survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking: insights from the UK and Albania, Modern Slavery Policy and Evidence Centre.
- Murphy, C. and Lazzarino, R. (Eds.) (2023) Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking: The Victim Journey. Policy Press
- Murphy, C. and Anstiss, K. (2023) ‘Survivor Support: How a Values-based Service can Enhance Access to Psychological Capital’, in Murphy, C. and Lazzarino, R. (Eds.) Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking: The Victim Journey. Policy Press
- Murphy, C. (2022) ‘No-one is born a slave’ in The Universe Catholic Weekly, November 2022
- Murphy, C., Wilkinson, S., Heys, A., Barlow, C., and Gleich, L. (2022) Identifying Pathways to Support British Victims of Modern Slavery Towards Safety and Recovery: A Scoping Study. Modern Slavery Policy and Evidence Centre.
- Kidd, A., Barlow, C., and Murphy, C. (2022) A Review of Modern Slavery in Britain: Understanding the Unique Experience of British Victims and Why it Matters, Journal of Victimology and Victim Justice, Vol. 5, Issue 1.
- Murphy, C. (2022) ‘Identity Construction and Stigma in Recovery’, in Addison, M., McGovern, W., and McGovern, R. (Eds.) Drugs, Identity and Stigma, Palgrave Macmillan
- Murphy, C. (2021) ‘Human Trafficking and Coercive Control: Representations in media and challenges in legislation’, in Moore, S. and Mellins, M. (eds.) Critiquing Violent Crime in the Media. Palgrave Macmillan
- Murphy, C. (2020) ‘Surviving Trafficking, Seeking Asylum: Waiting, Status and the State’. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy Emerald Publishing
- Murphy, C. (2020), ‘Human trafficking and modern slavery’, Pastoral Review 16:2 pp.26-30
- Murphy, C. (2018) A Game of Chance? Long-term Support for Survivors of Modern Slavery, St. Mary’s University
- Murphy, C. (2018) ‘Rivers of Blood, Sea of bodies: An analysis of media coverage of migration and trafficking on the High Seas’ in Hackett, J. & Harrington, S. (eds.) Beasts of the Deep: Sea Creatures and Popular Culture John Libbey Publishing Ltd.
Conference papers
- 2025 CSR, HRDD, MSA: Business intersections with survivors of modern slavery. Ardea International Annual conference: Understanding Modern Slavery as part of Human Rights Due Diligence. (Keynote speaker)
- 2024 Applying a model of cultural competency and compassionate care in fostering cross-cultural dialogue to improve the prevention of human trafficking/modern slavery from conflict zones. Catholic Universities Consortium Conference: Standing in Solidarity with Partners and Peers in Conflict Zones. July-August
- 2024 Understanding the role of culture in the prevention of modern slavery and the development of cultural competency in supporting survivors. The Tablet, Webinar annual event on modern slavery. June 19th. (Invited speaker)
- 2024 Bakhita Centre: The importance of evidence-based strategies and informed policy making, Global Sustainability Network Conference, Inner Temple, June 18th (Invited speaker)
- 2024 Salvation Army Conference – Masterclass on Cultural Competency for survivors of modern slavery, May 2nd (Invited speaker)
- 2024 Cultural Competency in Modern Slavery Support: Insights from the UK, Responses to Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Conference, Wilberforce Institute, University of Hull, March 26th.
- 2024 Cultural influences and cultural competency in the prevention and protection of survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking: insights from the UK and Albania, Joint dissemination event for MSPEC project on Cultural Competency in the Modern Slavery Sector, Bakhita Centre with Wilberforce Institute, Birmingham, February 15th.
- 2023 Beyond Virtue Signalling: What can business do to support survivors of modern slavery? Business Ethics: Stakeholders, Struggles, & Solutions Conference, The Australasian Business Ethics Network, Macquarie University, Sydney, Dec 1st. (Invited speaker)
- 2023 Tackling Modern Slavery through Research, Education and Awareness Raising, Protecting the Vulnerable: The Realities of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Event, St. Sophia Cathedral, London October 16th, 2023 (invited speaker)
- 2023 Vulnerability in Regulation Workshop, Panel on Vulnerability and Individual Decision-Making London School of Economics and Political Science LSE, September 21st. (Invited speaker)
- 2023 Trafficking within borders: missed opportunities to prevent, identify and protect victims of human trafficking in England and Wales, Healing Humanity: Efforts against Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery. Conference organized by the Archdiocese of Thyateira & Great Britain, in collaboration with the Faculty of Theology of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki February 2023. (Invited speaker)
- 2022 ‘Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking: The Victim Journey’, panel discussion Murphy & Lazzarino, 2022, (eds.) ‘Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking: The Victim Journey’, Policy Press, at the 24-hour Conference on Global Organised Crime October 2022, organised by the Global Initiative against Organised Crime. 24-hour conference on global organized crime #OC24 2023 | Global Initiative (Invited speaker)
- 2022 ‘Modern Slavery in Britain: Developing a Framework to Support British National Survivors’, St. James Research Centre, Online event, 5-6 August. (Invited speaker)
- 2022 ‘Voices of the Enslaved: British National Survivors’ Experiences in Britain’, Slavery Past, Present and Future 6th Global Meeting, Webster Leiden Campus, Netherlands, 11-13 July.
- 2022 ‘Informing practice through the experiences of British national survivors of modern slavery’, Beyond Silos: Amplifying Marginal Voices and Underexplored Methods in Human Trafficking Research, Human Trafficking Research Network (HTRN), QUB (Online), 16-17 June.
- 2022 Symposium on County Lines and Women: Focus on North Yorkshire, York St. John University, February 26th
- 2021 ‘Identifying pathways to support British Victims of Modern Slavery to Safety and Recovery’, Conference on Exploring the extent of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking between Ireland and the United Kingdom: through the lens of Organised Crime, December 8th, University of Cork (Online- Invited speaker)
- 2020 ‘Surviving Trafficking, Seeking Asylum: The British Experience’ Conference on Migratory Flows in the 21st Century: Notes on Slavery and Trafficking in Persons, 2020, November 25th, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Human Trafficking Clinic (CTETP) Brazil (Online- Invited speaker)
- 2020 ‘Assisting and Protecting Survivors of Modern Slavery, Human Trafficking and Forced Labour’, Virtual International Conference on Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and Policy and Evidence Centre, 15–16 September 2020 (Invited speaker)
Advisory appointments
- 2018-21 Member of the Project Executive Board (PEB) for the “Human Trafficking and Exploitation in Ireland” project, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, and Santa Marta Group.
- 2016-23 Trustee Women at the Well (W@W) 54-55 Birkenhead Street, London, WC1H88B.
Evaluations and consultancy
- Evlauayion of Music Therapy Service, Caritas Bakhita House (2023)
- Rahab Project, Evaluation of service and project outcomes (2019)
- Housing for Women, Evaluation of Replace service for survivors of trafficking (2018)
- Snowdrop, Evaluation of service and project outcomes (2018)
- Bakhita House, Evaluation of service and project outcomes (2018)
- ‘Mapping gaps in long-term support for victims of trafficking in the UK’, Funded project (2017)
- Housing for Women, Evaluation of two services: Replace and Reunite (2016)
- Research consultant: European Policing of human trafficking and modern slavery research project at EUROPOL with The Centre for Social Justice (2014-2015).