Commissioner presses for modern slavery central registry

U.K. Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Kevin Hyland has issued an ultimatum to the government to get moving on setting up a central, state-owned registry for corporate modern slavery statements that he wants in place before he leaves office later this summer.

Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act requires companies to publish a statement on modern slavery that meets the following requirements:

• Statements should be approved by the board of directors—this ensures boards are seriously discussing the issues.
• Statements should be signed by a director—this ensures there is clear accountability within the business on modern slavery.
• Statements should be linked to the company’s homepage—this ensures other stakeholders, including investors, workers, and consumers can scrutinise business action on slavery.

Company statements must describe what action, if any, they are taking to tackle modern slavery within their business and supply chains...