Garment factory, Sri Lanka. ILO/M.Crozet/Flickr. (CC 2.0 by-nc-nd)
Under Section 54 of the UK Modern Slavery Act (the act), over 12,000 companies (government estimate) operating in the UK with a turnover of over £36 million are expected to engage in meaningful due diligence to find risks and produce robust statements detailing the steps they have taken that year to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking from their operations and supply chains. These statements must be approved by the company boards and signed by a company director (or equivalent), and be available from the homepage of the company’s website.
Guidance published by the Home Office suggests, but does not require, that companies describe their organisational structure, risks, company policies and due diligence to eliminate those risks. The minimum requirements under the act are significant: approval by the board demands buy-in from the very top for company-wide action to combat slavery risks; a director’s (or equivalent) signature creates clear accountability; and access to the statement from the company’s homepage means easier scrutiny by consumers and investors.
