Modern Slavery Initiative

Modern Slavery Reporting Legislation

Modern slavery is the new frontier of the corporate responsibility to respect human rights. Governments now view business entities as an effective conduit in the protection of human rights.

This shared global view has been expressed in international forums such as the G20 and the Bali Process, both of which have addressed the need to underline the responsibility of business entities in responding to modern slavery.

This notion of business responsibility is materialising in modern slavery reporting legislation. Such legislation requires business entities to disclose their actions (policy, due diligence, remedy) to address modern slavery in their operations and supply chain.

Whilst modern slavery reporting legislation differs from country to country, commonly, such legislation requires captured entities to annually prepare and publish a statement about its efforts to eradicate modern slavery in its operations and along its supply chains. Generally, the statement would be required to identify the reporting entity, and to describe:

The reporting entity's structure, operations and supply chains;
The risks of modern slavery practices in the operations and supply chains of the reporting entity, and any entities that the reporting entity owns or controls;
The actions taken by the reporting entity and any entity that the reporting entity owns or controls, to assess and address those risks, including due diligence and remediation processes;
How the reporting entity assesses the effectiveness of such actions;
Consultation undertaken with entities that the reporting entity owns or controls, and entities with which the reporting entity has prepared a joint statement; and
Any other relevant information.

Modern Slavery Reporting Legislation

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