Modern Slavery Act 2015
The Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires certain commercial organisations to publish an annual statement setting out the steps they take to prevent modern slavery in their business and their supply chains and this requirement comes under Section 54 (Transparency in Supply Chains).
These organisations are those that supply goods or services and have a turnover of not less than an amount prescribed by regulations made by the Secretary of State.
The legal requirements are listed below. Further information, including links to tools and resources to support effective activity and reporting, can be found here. It is imperative that an organisation's:
These organisations are those that supply goods or services and have a turnover of not less than an amount prescribed by regulations made by the Secretary of State.
The legal requirements are listed below. Further information, including links to tools and resources to support effective activity and reporting, can be found here. It is imperative that an organisation's:
- Modern Slavery Statement is updated annually.
- Modern Slavery Statement is published on the organisation’s UK website.
- Modern Slavery Statement clearly states that it has been signed off by a Director and has Board approval (or equivalent).
What should an organisation include in its Modern Slavery Statement?
Organisations are not expected to guarantee that all of their supply chains are ‘slavery free.’ Nonetheless, statements must describe the main actions the organisation has taken during the financial year to deal with modern slavery risks in its supply chains and its own business. If the organisation has taken no steps to deal with modern slavery risks, it must still publish a statement stating this to be the case.
The Home Office’s statutory guidance recommends that the statement covers the following 6 areas:
The Home Office’s statutory guidance recommends that the statement covers the following 6 areas:
- organisation structure and supply chains.
- policies in relation to slavery and human trafficking.
- due diligence processes.
- risk assessment and management.
- key performance indicators to measure effectiveness of steps being taken.
- training on modern slavery and trafficking.
Best practice
The detail and quality of information included under each of the 6 areas should improve in successive annual statements.
For more help with structuring a statement, deciding what information to include and planning how to make progress in future statements, read the Ethical Trading Initiative’s Modern Slavery Statements Evaluation Framework.
For more help with structuring a statement, deciding what information to include and planning how to make progress in future statements, read the Ethical Trading Initiative’s Modern Slavery Statements Evaluation Framework.