.png)
The Final Report of the Independent Review of the UK’s Modern Slavery Act, conducted by the Rt Hon Frank Field MP, Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss and Maria Miller MP was published on December 31st 2021. The purpose of the review was to look into the operations and effectiveness of the Act and to suggest potential improvements.
The particular areas of focus in the report include;
- The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner (sections 40 – 44)
- Transparency in supply chains (section 54)
- Independent Child Trafficking Advocates (section 48)
- The legal application of the Act, comprising:
- The definition of exploitation (section 3)
- Reparation orders (sections 8-10)
- The statutory defence (section 45)
In his forward to the report the Rt Hon Frank Field MP writes;
“The Modern Slavery Act was merely the beginning of a fightback, and implementation is as important as legislation. We have identified, for example, severe deficiencies in how data is collected in this area. Similarly, there needs to be greater awareness of modern slavery and consistent, high quality training among those most likely to encounter its victims. Without these changes, the impact of the Act will be limited. Through the Act, the UK became the first country in the world to introduce pioneering transparency in supply chains requirements, leading to thousands of large businesses taking action to identify and eradicate modern slavery from their supply chains. The Report recommends putting teeth into this part of the Act so that all businesses take seriously their responsibilities to check their supply chains.”
The Review put forward 80 recommendations which can be found in the link below.