met with some of the most influential business leaders
in the UK, including chief executives from Aviva, Co-op,
Associated British Foods, BT and Sky, who joined with government
representatives at the business against slavery forum to discuss
what more can be done to accelerate progress in tackling modern
slavery.
Speaking after the forum, Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and
Vulnerability said:
This government is proud to lead the world in ending this
terrible injustice through the Modern Slavery Act and an
advanced law enforcement response. However we know that, hidden
from view in the supply chains that produce the goods and
services we consume, there is an underbelly of forced labour
that we must eradicate.
The companies here today are leading the way by taking robust
action to prevent slavery in their supply chains, but other
businesses have failed to fulfil their legal obligations or
have published weak statements which are lacking in detail.
All businesses need to step up and help eliminate slavery. My
department will be writing directly to the CEOs of businesses
which continue to flout their legal obligations - and if this
persists they can expect to face tougher consequences.
Under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, it is a legal requirement for
companies with a £36 million turnover to publish a transparency
statement and explain what they are doing to stop modern slavery
occurring.
During the business against slavery forum, a number of
company-led initiatives were discussed, such as Co-op’s bright
future programme, giving survivors a pathway to paid employment,
and HSBC’s survivor bank accounts.
The meeting included some of the largest companies in the UK
which collectively employ over 800,000 people with a combined
turnover of more than £140 billion a year. The forum was launched
last year in partnership with the government to enforce greater
transparency in supply chains. It is attended by Aviva, Co-op,
Associated British Foods, BT, Sky, Hewlett Packard, WPP, Barclays
and HSBC.
The Modern Slavery Act was introduced in 2015, the first piece
legislation of its kind in the world, transforming our response
to modern slavery, both in the UK and internationally. Last year,
there were over 600 police investigations – 3 times higher than
2015 – with thousands of potential victims identified.
