The Modern Slavery Act

The ILO (International Labour Organization) estimates that there are 40.3 million people in modern slavery in the world today, including 24.9 million in forced labour.

As globalisation creates more opportunities for organisations to secure cheaper supplies, the risk of exploitation in supply chains increases.

In the UK, the MSA (Modern Slavery Act) 2015 sets out measures to combat modern slavery and trafficking. It applies to organisations that do business in the UK and have a global turnover of more than £36 million.

Section 54 of the Act, “Transparency in supply chains”, requires commercial organisations to publish a slavery and human trafficking statement for each financial year.

The Home Office’s guidance recommends that your statement covers the following:

• Organisation structure and supply chains.
• Policies in relation to slavery and human trafficking.
• Due diligence processes.
• Risk assessment and management.
• Key performance indicators to measure the effectiveness of steps being taken.
• Training on modern slavery and trafficking.

You can use these six areas to demonstrate that your organisation is acting ethically and in line with the law.