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Office of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner
Sara Thornton CBE QPM is the UK’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner. The role of the Commissioner was created as one of the key provisions of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
About the Commissioner

What is modern slavery?

Modern slavery is an umbrella term encompassing slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour and human trafficking. Victims of modern slavery are unable to leave their situation of exploitation, controlled by threats, punishment, violence, coercion and deception. Slavery violates human rights, denying people of their right to life, freedom and security.

40,300,000
people live in slavery today
(ILO & Walkfree Foundation 2017)
13,000
potential victims of slavery are in the UK
(Home Office 2014)
151,600,000
children are victims of child labour
(ILO & Walkfree Foundation 2017)

Anti-Slavery Partnership Toolkit

The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s (IASC) office, in collaboration with the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham, has launched an online toolkit to help local organisations and agencies work better together to tackle modern slavery. You can view the toolkit here: https://iasctoolkit.nottingham.ac.uk/#

 

 

The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner's five priorities:

Victim care logo
Victim Identification & Care
To drive improved identification of victims of modern slavery and enhanced levels of immediate and sustained support for victims and survivors across the UK.
Law enforcement logo
Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice
To promote an improved law enforcement and criminal justice response across the UK, to support development and adoption of effective training and to increase awareness across relevant statutory agencies.
Private sector logo
Private Sector Engagement
To engage with the private sector to promote policies to ensure that supply chains are free from slavery and to encourage effectual transparency reporting.
Partnerships logo
Partnerships
To identify, promote and facilitate best practice in partnership working and to encourage improved data sharing and high quality research into key issues.
International collaboration logo
International Collaboration
To encourage effective and targeted international collaboration to combat modern slavery.

Statutory Agencies

The Commissioner has a UK-wide remit to encourage good practice in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of modern slavery offences. The Commissioner works directly with statutory agencies, who have a duty to co-operate with the Commissioner as set out in the Modern Slavery Act.
NHS
Police
Local Authorities
Immigration Agencies

Recent News & Insights

News | 22 February 2019
New Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner announced
Sara Thornton, a police officer with more than 30 years’ experience, will take up the role of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner to help spearhead the UK’s response to the devastating crime.
News | 23 October 2018
Home Office National Referral Mechanism (NRM) reform newsletter
The Modern Slavery Unit in the Home Office has launched a newsletter to keep stakeholders informed of its progress in delivering reform of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), and to share key news from its partners in their work to tackle modern slavery.
News | 22 October 2018
Modern slavery, environmental destruction and climate change: Fisheries, field, forests & factories
A new report released jointly today by the Office of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and the University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab takes a close look at modern slavery, environmental destruction and climate change as interconnected crises. The study reveals the ways in which these three areas are intrinsically linked, strongly supporting the argument that it is vital to for them to be routinely considered as connected issues and tackled with holistic strategies.
News | 18 October 2018
New study looks at the true nature of modern slavery in hand car washes
A new collaborative study between experts at the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham and the Office of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, issued on 18 Oct 2018, looks at the true extent and nature of modern slavery and human trafficking in hand car washes in the UK.
News | 15 October 2018
Launch of updated Slavery and Trafficking Survivor Care Standards
The Human Trafficking Foundation has today published the updated Slavery and Trafficking Survivor Care Standards, a vital resource for frontline practitioners who work with survivors. These Standards have been endorsed by Kevin Hyland OBE, the inaugural Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.
News | 11 October 2018
New online toolkit to support anti-slavery partnerships
The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s (IASC) office, in collaboration with the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham, has today launched an online toolkit to help local organisations and agencies work better together to tackle modern slavery.

What do I do if I think someone is a victim of modern slavery?

If you think someone is in immediate danger, please call the police on 999. In order to protect the potential victim, do not attempt to inform them of your actions.

If you think someone is a potential victim but there is no immediate threat to life, please call the local police on 101.

You can also call the Modern Slavery Helpline on 0800 0121 700 24 hours a day.

If you have information you wish to give anonymously and confidentially you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

See the ‘Resources’ page for more detailed guidance on how to refer a victim of modern slavery for support.

 

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