"Tearfund welcomes Modern Slavery legislation, but it 'doesn't go far enough'", 28 July 2023

Humanitarian agency Tearfund welcomes the announcement today that the government is taking steps to introduce Modern Slavery legislation to help prevent the import of goods made by some of the almost 28 million people trapped in forced labour.

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Tearfund has been campaigning for three years for robust legislation, and the government has heard overwhelming support for the inclusion of company due diligence requirements. "It is extremely disappointing to see the government diverging from this approach and focusing only disclosure legislation," says Gray "This is our chance to create an effective and robust piece of legislation that has taken the learnings from other countries rather than simply following them. Without due diligence, we cannot make a real difference for the millions of people being exploited to bolster the profits of companies who manufacture and import our goods." [...]

Gray says we will continue our advocacy and urge the government to make a strong commitment to introducing a second due diligence law within a specified timeframe.

Tearfund and World Vision are asking more Kiwis to sign their joint Open Letter, which has received over 5,500 signatures, to show the government they just don’t want change, they want effective change. To sign the Open Letter, click here. https://our.actionstation.org.nz/p/MSL