WORKFORCE | MODERN SLAVERY EXPLOITATION EXPOSED The construction industry must engage with as many people as possible, including victims, to improve its understanding of modern slavery, says Stronger Togethers Pamela Zielinski A wareness of modern slavery is increasing but, for those who still ask if it means not being paid the minimum wage, there is a stark lesson to be had in the cruelty that humans will inflict on fellow humans. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that, globally, there are 40 million victims of modern slavery, more than half of whom are suspected to be victims of forced labour.1 Forced or compulsory labour is defined by the ILO as all work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily.2 Penalties can include physical and/ or sexual violence, threats to family and friends, and threats of denunciation to authorities. Estimates for the number of potential victims in the UK range from 12-14,000 quoted in a Home Office study published in December 20143 to 136,000, indicated in the 2018 Global Slavery Index.4 While the figures vary, there is consensus that this crime is happening in the UK, across a range of sectors, including agriculture, food processing and packaging, car washes, nail bars, waste management, and construction. Construction The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority recognises construction as a high-risk sector,5 and the Chartered Institute of Buildings Construction and the Modern Slavery Act6 published in May 2018 confirmed a growing realisation that victims can be found across the UK supply chain. Under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, businesses should know or ought to know if forced labour is occurring in their business or supply chain. The common cry of how are we supposed to know is no longer a defence. Commercial organisations with a turnover of 36m or more are required to publish an annual statement of what they are doing to address the risks in their business and their supply chain, so creating a cascade of statements throughout their supply chain. The equivalent Scottish legislation goes further, and has provisions for offences committed by a body incorporated under The common cry of how are we supposed to know is no longer a defence 46 November 2019 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Nov19 pp46-47 Modern slavery.indd 46 25/10/2019 15:27