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.
