There were 269 victims of modern slavery in Norfolk alone in 2023. Worldwide, it’s estimated that there are 50 million victims globally. A harsh fact that we learnt during our Eradicating Modern Slavery event was that there is approximately £162 billion of illegal profits generated from human trafficking each year.
In December 2024, we held an event called Eradicating Modern Slavery from UK & Global Supply Chains. It was important to us to host this event as it’s a key area where Procurement can have an impact in the world.
Almost all industries are touched by modern slavery, with the most at risk sectors being agriculture, construction, textiles and electronics.
About the event
Attendees came from across East Anglia to learn, discuss and share ideas. There were 50 people there from a range of industries and sectors, including the national public sector, local councils, manufacturers, insurance and legal professions.
The speakers were:
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Sarah-Jane Niles, Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking Coordinator, Norfolk Police & Crime Commissioner’s Office
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Tom Frost, Advisor – Human Rights in Supply Chains, Slave Free Alliance
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Bryn Frere-Smith, Owner, Blue Bear Coffee
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Hannah Cowley, Procurement Lead – Sustainable Procurement, QinetiQ
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Adrian Finbow, Gangmaster & Labour Abuse Authority
They each gave their experienced perspective on what the risk factors are for modern slavery, how to spot the signs of it, and what steps can be taken to improve your impact in UK and global supply chains.
We also held a panel discussion on the effectiveness of the UK Modern Slavery Act, which in 2015 was a world-leading piece of legislation which has since been replicated by many countries around the world.
We rounded the day off with a workshop discussing real life case studies where modern slavery had been found. Everyone worked in small groups to discuss what they would do in this situation and put what they had learnt into action.
What You Can Do
Our speakers gave concrete advice on what can be done to eradicate modern slavery. Here is what we learnt:
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Map your supply chain, thinking about high risk geographies and industries. You can then target high risk areas first
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Use the right language when speaking to your suppliers. It’s important that you work with, not against, them to address modern slavery
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Collaborate with suppliers and internal stakeholders. You’ll need their help to research your high risk areas and implement change. It’s important to be non-judgemental and find out the facts together
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Check that what you negotiated is actually being implemented by suppliers. Just because you put it into a contract doesn’t mean it’s actually happening! Which leads us to…
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Boots on the ground: visit suppliers and speak to their employees. If you can’t do this yourself, use a trusted auditor or speak with Slave Free Alliance to see if they can help
What People Said…
Here what people said about the event afterwards:
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I have to say the quality of the speakers was exceptional and engaging, a really good all round event
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Thank you for putting on an excellent event. The speakers were very knowledgeable and we’ll certainly look to tap into their expertise next year
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The speakers were all brilliant. It’s really made me think of ways in which I can audit my current suppliers and improve due diligence on new ones
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Thank you for the invitation and for organising an excellent event. It has certainly given us a clear reminder of the opportunities and risks, which we will work to communicate back to the Council over the next few months
Thank you to everyone who attended, and especially to our wonderful speakers, without whom this couldn’t have happened!
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