REPORT ON PAL MEETING 19 SEPTEMBER 2019
MODERN DAY SLAVERY AWARENESS
On a bright sunny morning almost 200 PALS and WI members descended on Frodsham Community Centre to listen to Gary Spratt and his colleague Paul Miller from Libre Solutions and Paul Elms from, Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), speaking and enlightening us all on aspects of Modern Day Slavery. Prior to the Abolition Vote in 1789, William Wilberforce stated “You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you do not know”. This statement is revalent today as we heard harrowing accounts of slavery and people trafficking, from the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster, where 21 were known to have lost their lives, to the modern day Nail Bars and Car washes.
What does Modern Day Slavery involve? Child labour, Sex trafficking, Debt Bondage, Forced Labour and Marriage, and Domestic Servitude. In 2015, the Modern Day Slavery Act came into force and all Companies/Businesses with a turnover of £36M pa have to produce a Transparency Statement which is renewed annually. The Public Sector, currently, are exempt from this Act and the take up by the Business sector has been slow. You can google TISC Report (Transparency in supply chains) to check if your retailer etc are complying with the Act.
We are all aware of numerous Nail Bars popping up across our County and in two Boroughs in the North West there were 455 nail bars, which conservatively equated to an estimated 760 people being exploited in Slavery. Spotting signs at these Bars, where there is no form of Licensing, are: Cash only, Age of Workers, Face Masks and Massage Parlours nearby. Usually a Matriarchal figure controlling the workers every movement.
Car Washes another area known to operate with Slaves. Members advised to download the Clewer Car Wash app which is linked to the GLAA.gov.uk web page where these car washes are monitored. You must use the App when at the car wash site.
We need to raise awareness of the plight of these children and adults who can be trafficked and then become slaves. A recent Panorama programme highlighted all these issues which are happening all around us. Well done to the Public Affairs team for another incredibly thought-provoking subject.
MLJ
19 September 2019
