“A year after the UK Modern Slavery Act, time for a Global Modern Slavery Agreement?”, 31 Mar 2017

One year ago today, companies started reporting under Prime Minister Theresa May’s ground-breaking legislation on modern slavery.  Our latest analysis reveals a small cluster of leading companies, including HP, Apple, Primark, and British American Tobacco, whose statements demonstrate a strong commitment to this cause.  But there is a far longer list of companies who have yet to begin…to even identify where they have risks of forced and child labour.  Nevertheless, a large number of companies have told us that this government demand for mandatory transparency has provoked substantial discussion and movement amongst bosses, and the impact of the Act, even with its punches pulled, demonstrates the power of collaboration between government, business and civil society…Something is stirring in the governments of Europe, North America, and further afield.  There is a rising sense that modern slavery in its many ugly forms…is no longer tolerable…But an existential risk is surfacing: if governments all unilaterally design legislation then companies could understandably complain that they face…perhaps, 30 inconsistent sets of national legislation to eliminate slavery.  But governments can and should cooperate to take the best of existing regulation and incentives, and set a common…standard of corporate behaviour…We need a Trans-Atlantic, or perhaps Global Modern Slavery Agreement.