New Anti-Slavery Report - What You Need to Know
The first annual report by the UK's Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Kevin Hyland OBE, has been published.
The report covers developments made in the last year but also highlights that there is much more to be done in the fight against modern slavery.
The report sets out the importance of the role the private sector has to play in tackling human slavery. Over the last year, the Commissioner has written to over 1,000 companies operating in the UK, specifying what is expected of them under section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA) in relation to their obligation to produce a slavery and human trafficking statement. The Commissioner has also led roundtables on supply chain transparency and is working with trade bodies to tackle modern slavery.
In 2017, the Commissioner will continue to engage with businesses committed to eradicating slavery from supply chains, and to encourage full compliance with section 54. The Commissioner notes 'there is still much more to be done to ensure that companies produce statements that both comply with the Act’s obligations and point to decisive action being taken, as opposed to merely being a ‘tick box’ exercise'.
We will soon be issuing a series of FAQs about modern slavery and the obligations employers face under the MSA. We will let you know when this is available.