Anti-Slavery Day 2020
Modern slavery continues to be a problem both globally and in the UK. Persistent and coordinated political efforts are needed to end and prevent it.
Last Sunday marked the UK’s 10th Anti-Slavery Day, enacted by Queen Elizabeth II to raise awareness of modern slavery and celebrate the work done to eliminate it. While engagement of businesses, organisations and individuals brings hope, continued reports of malpractice indicate a need for more action.
In 2015, the UK passed the ground-breaking Modern Slavery Act which consolidated offences into a single act and mapped out actions to prosecute perpetrators, support victims, and protect those at risk of modern slavery.
“As the problem of modern slavery grows in this country, there is a risk that the Modern Slavery Act has lured us into afalse sense of security. Far from being finished, the work is only just beginning” reports the Centre for Social Justice(CSJ). While the scale of crimes is unknown, there are estimated to be over 100 000 victims in the UK. The CSJ has called the government to action, recommending:
a) further inquiry into the scale of the problem and investment accordingly
b) support for the exploited
c) coordination between police and charities
d) harsher action against slave masters and Organised Crime Groups
e) help for foreign victims seeking to return home
f) hedging against the risk for further exploitation posed by the Covid-19 pandemic
The most common form of modern slavery is forced and bonded labour, to which the fashion industry is particularly prone. This year has seen no shortages of humanitarian crisesin the industry, particularly as the Covid-19 pandemic has increased vulnerability of workers to labour abuses and exploitation. Cotton production is particularly high risk, with state sanctioned forced labour being used in plantations in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and China’s Xinjiang region. In spite of multiple NGOs’ efforts to keep this cotton out of supply chains, it is ubiquitous in our clothing.
The fight against modern slavery is far from over. As stakeholders in a high-risk sector, fashion industry executivesneed to actively prevent it. Here at Fashion Roundtable, we continue to thank and admire those who help dismantle oppressive systems and endeavour to continue sharing their work.
For more information please check out the following organisations:
Walk Free Foundation: Global Slavery Index