Anti-Slavery Week

REPORT - Worker Exploitation: policy VS practice

This report has been compiled using anonymised data from 1,368 confidential worker interviews and 48 management system audits last year. Some of the key findings are:

26% of companies had not requested or verified appropriate right to work documentation.
17% of workers had been deducted up to 25% of their weekly wage via a range of non-standard deductions.
11% of companies were unable to demonstrate written terms and conditions had been issued to workers.

BLOG POST - Modern slavery in construction is on the rise

What you need to know about modern slavery and labour abuse in the construction sector and on building sites – and what we all can do about it.

According to figures from Unseen’s Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline, it’s continuing to rise among the 2 million people working in construction in the UK.
More remarkable is that this happened when numbers dropped off in many other sectors during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2021, construction accounted for more than 20% of incidences of labour exploitation reported to our Helpline.
A further 13% of labour abuse cases raised through the Helpline also related to the building industry.

WEBINAR - Addressing Ethical Employment challenges in supply chains

It is of primary importance that companies are well equipped to be able to identify and address any instances of modern slavery in order to build ethical supply chains. But do they always know what they’re looking for?

In this webinar, we had the pleasure to be joined by leaders in the construction industry, Sir Robert McAlpine, Lendlease and Unseen UK to find out:

How they identify key issues around ethical employment challenges
The approach they take in order to tackle these issues
Best practice

BLOG POST - Ask The Expert: The refugee crisis – how we can all prevent this becoming a disaster of modern slavery

The humanitarian disaster resulting from the Ukraine conflict plays out on social and broadcast media across the world daily. But as the migration of refugees continues across Europe, many NGOs and charities have highlighted concerns that the risk of human trafficking and modern slavery will rise exponentially as vulnerable Ukrainian refugees are targeted.

Concerns being raised around the Ukrainian crisis from a modern slavery perspective
Actions that businesses should take to ensure there is no modern slavery in their supply chain
Recommendations

REPORT - How to prevent modern slavery

A report by Unseen based on data from the modern slavery & exploitation helpline and lived experience accounts.

The main theme of the findings was that young working adults were at most risk of exploitation and that those most likely to exploit them were of similar age or slightly older.
They were also of similar nationality and often used job offers and false information as a means in which to recruit vulnerable people in search of work or more financial and home stability.

Continuous improvement is the key to mitigating risks of worker exploitation and modern slavery. Having a long-term approach to managing and mitigating risks and regularly reviewing progress will ensure businesses know where they are and where they need to get to. In doing so, businesses will be able to recognise the signs of exploitation and deal with them effectively, learning lessons and applying them back into core business practises. To make the progress needed, we must create a more transparent environment and move away from the tick box mentality that is sadly failing workers in all sectors."

Justine Currell

Executive Director | Unseen UK

Stand up for your business.

Mitigate the risks of human rights abuses.

Modern slavery in supply chains:

overlooked and underestimated?