Managing Director, Philippa Southwell, was interviewed by The Times about the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and its implementation. Ms Southwell calls for greater enforcement and penalties for businesses that do not comply with the law.
The Modern Slavery Act 2015 introduced tougher sentences and powers which aimed to prosecute traffickers and protect their victims more successfully. Since its implementation, businesses in the UK with an annual turnover of £36 million or more are required by law to publish a yearly statement setting out their actions to identify, prevent and mitigate modern slavery in their supply chains. The Government has also launched a voluntary Modern Slavery Statement Registry to help businesses with transparency. However, although this is a powerful tool, the current lack of enforcement means that it is easy for businesses to avoid compliance. It is estimated that there are still over 10,000 people living in the UK as modern day slaves today, so it is evident that more needs to be done by businesses, policy, and law makers to prosecute traffickers and protect victims.
Southwell and Partners specialises in criminal, human rights and modern slavery law. If you would like any advice please get in touch.
