Modern Day Slavery received royal assent yesterday - much needed law change to prevent trafficking

I welcome the Modern Slavery Act 2015 as the Bill receives Royal Assent yesterday. While no Act can cover everything in the serious criminal activity of human trafficking and modern slavery, which abuses vulnerable people, the enhanced support and protection for victims is particularly to be welcomed; the crime of trafficking and modern slavery is a crime against humanity.

This from Cardinal Nichols: “I echo the Home Secretary’s words today when she describes the presence of modern slavery in today’s society as an affront to the dignity and humanity of every one of us. It is also important to recognise the vital role of Theresa May in ensuring the passage of this legislation. I pay tribute to her personal commitment to rid our society of this scourge and the support she has given to all those who seek to combat the traffickers and to care for the victims of trafficking.”
I certainly agree - my boss, the Home Secretary, has done great work to bring in this much needed change in the law.  

In 2013 Anti slavery laws are needed in this country

The reports from London of the terrible case of the 3 people allegedly detained against their will for years again shows why we need more robust laws in this country on human trafficking and modern day slavery. This is an issue that my boss, The Home Secretary is taking very seriously and the law is coming soon.
The report below is sobering to an extreme:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10465524/Three-women-held-as-slaves-in-south-London.html

It is bizarre that in 2013 we need a modern slavery bill, but we do.

The exploitation of men, women and children by organised criminal gangs is known as the crime of human trafficking. When I was a lawyer doing criminal prosecutions 10 years ago such an offence was a complete rarity - a novelty and throwback to a bygone age. It is not anymore. It is all around us, and we should call it what it is – modern slavery.


That might sound like an exaggeration in 2013. But there is increasing evidence that thousands of people in Britain are exploited through forced labour, being pushed into crime and being made to work in the sex industry. They are bought and sold as commodities, they are kept in servitude and they have little chance of escape. Because they are often forced into a life of crime, they fear not just their traffickers but the people who should be there to help them – the police and the authorities.

The victims are not always foreign nationals brought here by gangs. This year, in Luton, British criminals were sentenced for kidnapping homeless people and forcing them to work in dreadful conditions for no pay. They were beaten if they even talked about escape. They were British people, working for British gangmasters, in Britain – and they were being kept as slaves.

We cannot ignore this evil in our midst. And that is why I am pleased that the Government will soon publish a Modern Slavery Bill. That Bill will bring into a single Act the confusing array of human trafficking offences. It will give the authorities the powers they need to investigate, prosecute and lock up the slave drivers. And it will make sure that there are proper punishments for the perpetrators of these appalling crimes.
The Bill will send the clearest possible message. If you’re involved in this disgusting trade in human beings, you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted – and you will be thrown behind bars.