Modern Slavery Presented by: Mrs. Dame Sara Thornton DBE QPM Date: 22 February 2021 Role of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner - Created by Part 4 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 - Accountable through the strategic plan and annual reports, which the Secretary of State lays before Parliament - - Specified public authorities are under a duty to cooperate with the Commissioner • Law enforcement and border security • Local government • Health bodies • Regulators (GLAA) 41. General functions of Commissioner • (1) The Commissioner must encourage good practice in  (a) the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of slavery and human trafficking offences;  (b) the identification of victims of those offences. My Appointment Was Leaked To The Sunday Times And Others Followed.... - 'Field voiced concern that the appointment was once again a police officer, which emphasized the enforcement nature of the role. Campaigners for slavery victims echoed his fears that Thornton had a law enforcement background.' Guardian (4) February 2019) - 'It's causes are systemic; we have an economy which relies on cheap exploitable labor and a hostile environment which makes undocumented people unable to work for anyone other than those willing to flout the law, pushing them into abuse.' The Independent (3 February 2019) Criminal Justice VS Systemic Approach? - Palermo Protocol 2000 sought to 'prevent, suppress and punish traffickers in person, especially women and children' - Protocol has enjoyed broad support - Rationale for approaching labor exploitation and irregular migration through a criminal justice lens rather than in terms of migrant or labor rights - And it is argued that severe labor violations continue and migrants are abused and deported despite the work of modern abolitionists - Is a wider human rights approach needed? - 'The category of 'modern slavery' can be best understood as a politically motivated effort to draw attention to the most extreme cases... It concentrates attention upon a small number of 'exceptional' cases, and thereby ends up tacitly legitimating - or at least de- prioritizing - everyday abuses and systems.' Joel Quirk, 'Are you better or worse off? Understanding exploitation through comparison', openDemocracy (15 December 2020) - 'The purpose of business is to solve the problems of people and planet profitably, and not profit from causing problems.' The British Academy, 'Principles for Purposeful Business: How to deliver the framework for the Future of the Corporation' (2019) IASC Strategic Plan 2019-2021- Objectives - Improving victim care and support - Supporting law enforcement and prosecutions - Focusing on prevention - Getting value from research and innovation The Role of Financial Institutions - Slavery is illegal in every country in the world - But economic and financial systems appear to tolerate it or even promote practices which result in abuse - Key role to detect and disrupt illicit financial flows - 'Finance is a lever by which the entire global economy can be moved.' - Liechtenstein Initiative, 'A Blueprint for Mobilizing Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking' (September 2019) - 'Preventing Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking: An Agenda for Action across the Financial Services Sector' - IASC, TRIBE Freedom Foundation and Themis report (January 2021) Brands Responsibility For Abuse And Exploitation In Supply Chains - 'I am satisfied that the allegations about poor working conditions and low rates of pay are not merely well-founded but substantially true.' Alison Levitt QC, 'Independent Review into the boohoo Group PLC's Leicester supply chain' (24 September 2020) - Nearly 200 law enforcement operations in Leicester - Modern Slavery Statements appeared to be irrelevant - Called for joint responsibility with the Director of Labor Market Enforcement Trafficking Vs People Smuggling? - Reality is frequently blurred for victims - Organized crime groups involved in both - Law enforcement agencies need to be consistent in their approach and priorities supporting victims - Borders and immigration agencies need to focus on identifying victims