While it is true that the globalisation of supply chains has brought with it the problem of labour exploitation in foreign countries, “modern slavery” is also present in the United Kingdom. The UK has introduced a Modern Slavery Act in 2015. It won’t be effective if extreme forms of exploitation that fall under its remit go unrecognised. In an empirical study (Machura et al. 2019), students and police officers were given seven scenarios developed from real cases and the literature. It turns out that police officers recognise most of the scenarios, in contrast to students. Identifying situations as modern slavery appears related to strong moral disapproval, resulting in preferences for harsher punishment. Disapproval of injustice drives peoples’ reactions and, if the public are made more aware of the issue, can form the foundation of more successfully addressing this category of crimes.
Literature: Machura, Stefan, Short, Fay, Hill, Victoria Margaret, Suddaby, Catherine Rhian, Goddard, Ffion Elena, Jones, Sophie Elisabeth, Lloyd-Astbury, Emma Louise, Richardson, Luke, Rouse, and Chernise, Alexandra (2019). Recognising Modern Slavery. Journal of Human Trafficking, 5, 201-219.