“The Modern Slavery Act Two Years On - The Fight Continues...”, 28 March 2017

Since the… Modern Slavery Act 2015…received Royal Assent…Specific companies have started to lead the way in responding to modern slavery…going above and beyond the requirements of the Act…The Co-op…developed an innovative project providing employment opportunities for survivors of modern slavery; the Chartered Institute of Building has driven collective action within the construction industry; and a number of companies, such as Carillion, are taking pro-active approaches, establishing steering groups to identify modern slavery risks, rolling out training programmes for employees and introducing agreements with suppliers to ensure all comply with the Act…[International]…progress [has] been…made…too…Since…efforts to secure…the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals dedicated to the eradication of modern slavery [were successful]… the international community has woken up to the scale of slavery, which thrives in humanitarian crises.  Preventing this brutal trade in human life is now an integral part of discussions among world leaders…[E]arlier this month, the UK hosted an open debate on modern slavery in conflict…[at the] UN Security Council…where over 80 countries acknowledged the need to address the crime. In addition, countries such as Australia are…considering introducing their own legislation on modern slavery…The journey thus far has included many successes…but there remains much to do, domestically and on the international stage.