Today marks Anti-Slavery Day as part of Anti-Slavery Week. A United Kingdom and European awareness week which runs between the 14th and 20th of October each year. The week provides the opportunity to raise awareness of the issue of human trafficking and modern slavery. Anti-Slavery Day was founded following the introduction of a Private Members Bill (Anti-Slavery Day Act) introduced by Anthony Steen CBE in 2009.
Raising Public Awareness on Anti-Slavery Day 2024
We want to take the opportunity to not only mark this day, and remember its significance, but to also raise public and private sector awareness of issues such as human trafficking, modern slavery and exploitation. As recently as this month, a BBC documentary aired in the UK which covered the case of several vulnerable men who were trafficked to the UK and forced to work for internationally recognised brands. Reports indicate that modern slavery continues to rise globally, including in the UK and within European Member States.
In fact, through Achilles’ own Ethical Business Programme, specifically Ethical Site Surveys, Achilles has identified several cases of concern over recent years where we have spoken to more than 10,000 workers across the UK and EU. The below are a few examples of our findings due to be published in more detail as part of our Ethical Employment Impact Report:
- 8 workers agency workers in the UK house building industry reported that they were unable to take unaccompanied breaks from the workplace.
- 10 workers reported that they had not had their wages paid into a bank account directly controlled by themselves.
- 3 workers reported that they were refused free and unrestricted access to their own mobile phone.
Even in isolation, the examples above are not dissimilar to cases we’ve identified in other parts of the world and they act as a warning sign of potential exploitation or modern slavery. The BBC documentary and court case that preceded it, identified several failures by the employers including a lack of appropriate due diligence and monitoring to identify the exploitation of the trafficked workers.
Anti-Slavery Measures Across Europe
Countries like Germany and Norway have independently sought to bolster initial aims of the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015, with their own legislation, the LkSG and Norwegian Transparency Act respectively. More broadly across Europe, the upcoming Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) will obligate companies to risk assess, prevent, mitigate, monitor, report and remediate possible human rights issues within their value chains. Including those associated with forms of modern slavery and exploitation of workers.
Based on our own experience, we recommend companies develop holistic due diligence approaches that seek to:
- Develop robust due diligence and monitoring processes
- Educate staff and supply chains on exploitation or modern slavery red flags (our partners, Unseen UK have detailed information on their website with what to look out for)
- Undertake ongoing monitoring of workplaces and review documents and records
- Engage with supply chain partners to share best practice that can be introduced throughout the supply chain
- Collaborate inside and outside of industry verticals to share intelligence that may help other businesses to identify or prevent cases of modern slavery or exploitation
This Modern Slavery Day, we hope that businesses across the UK and Europe review their current processes and awareness in the aim of prevention and seek to share their own experiences across their industry in the spirit of collaboration.
To learn more about how Achilles and our partners can support you in your due diligence, or to register to receive a copy of our upcoming report contact us here.
