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It has now been eighteen months since the Modern Slavery Act, 2015 was passed. A legislation rushed into place with an eye to the May 2015 general elections, the act was widely perceived as a legislative ‘legacy’ of the Conservative government. In the months leading up to the passage of the act, several provisions of the Modern Slavery Bill proved to be controversial. Particularly, civil society actors – for whom victims’ rights were paramount – were concerned that the rhetoric of modern slavery would be used primarily to further a highly carceral piece of legislation.
