"The Modern Slavery Bill: A Step in the Right Direction", 6 Apr 2015

The Global Slavery Index estimates that 36 million people are living in modern slavery today...Many of these modern slaves are to be found in the supply chains of western corporations...[T]he British Parliament passed the Modern Slavery Bill. We welcome the focus on the role of business, and the new obligations on companies to report the steps they are taking to tackle human trafficking and slavery in their supply chains...Disappointingly, companies can still comply with disclosure requirements through reporting they have taken no steps at all...The law should require companies with £1 billion turnover in high risk industries such as manufacturing, shipping, agriculture and construction to not only disclose their efforts but also take action to end slavery through specific anti-slavery risk management and due diligence and have these verified by a third party auditor...As business leaders, it is our responsibility not to turn a blind eye or to believe that this issue is too complex to deal with.