What is a modern slavery policy?
A modern slavery policy is an internal business policy that sets out the processes a business has in place to identify, prevent and mitigate modern slavery in its operations and supply chains. Modern slavery is a term used to describe the crimes of holding a person in a position of slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour, or human trafficking (facilitating a person's travel with the intention of exploiting them soon after).
Creating a comprehensive modern slavery policy is a critical step in ensuring ethical practices within your organisation and supply chains. By following this checklist, you can develop a policy that not only complies with legal requirements but also demonstrates a genuine commitment to eradicating modern slavery.
What should a modern slavery policy include?
Information about the policy
Purpose: begin your modern slavery policy by clearly stating its purpose. Explain why the organisation is committed to eradicating modern slavery and the importance of compliance with relevant laws and ethical standards.
Who it applies to: define the scope of the policy, specifying which parts of the organisation and supply chain it covers. This should include, for example, all employees, contractors, suppliers and business partners.
Consequences: the modern slavery policy should set out the consequences of failing to comply with the policy, such as disciplinary action for employees or termination of contracts with third party suppliers.
Anti-slavery principles
Define key terms: include clear definitions of key terms such as modern slavery and human trafficking in your modern slavery policy. This ensures everyone in the organisation understands what these terms mean and how they relate to the policy.
Refer to relevant laws: relevant laws and requirements should be explained in the modern slavery policy. For information about the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, please read these FAQs.
Commitment: the policy should show the organisation’s commitment to identifying, preventing and mitigating modern slavery in its operations and supply chains. This means not supporting or dealing with any business knowingly involved in modern slavery or human trafficking.
Business procedures: the modern slavery policy should provide an overview of the procedures the organisation has in place to identify, prevent and mitigate modern slavery. For example, this could include:
conducting risk assessments to determine which parts of the business are most at risk from modern slavery and human trafficking;
engaging with suppliers to convey to them the modern slavery policy and carrying out appropriate due diligence;
building long-standing relationships with local suppliers;
with regards to international supply chains, ensuring the point of contact is preferably with a UK company or branch.
Responsibilities
Individual responsibility: the modern slavery policy should set out all individuals' responsibilities in relation to identifying, preventing and mitigating modern slavery.
Reporting: the modern slavery policy should include a clear reporting procedure to report any cases where an individual knows, or has reason to believe, that modern slavery has occurred.
Contact information
The modern slavery policy should include details of the person to contact with any questions or queries about the policy.
How can Docue help?
Docue’s modern slavery policy includes model content designed by lawyers to help you draft the policy yourself and tailor it to your needs. All you need to do is click through the intelligent tick box options and text box answers in Docue's modern slavery policy template and you’ll have a ready-to-use policy in no time. And don’t worry if you get stuck along the way, the modern slavery policy template includes guidance notes drafted by lawyers to help you through the process.
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Tags: modern slavery policy, modern slavery act policy