Launch: Anti-Slavery Digital Learning

 

 

 

 

 

A ground-breaking new anti-slavery digital learning for the financial services industry has been launched this week. This free to use training is available to all and provides interactive, engaging guidance for financial actors across ten industry sub sectors including retail banking, corporate banking, investment, insurance, accountancy, and crypto.

 

This training has been developed in partnership with the IASC, the UK National Modern Slavery Training Delivery Group, and Themis, with support from Unseen, RedCompass Labs and AllianceBernstein. It is accredited by the London Institute of Banking and Finance.

The training draws on extensive consultation and engagement with civil society, government, law enforcement and the private sector, and includes insights and video clips from experts Karen Bradley MP, Caroline Haughey QC, HSBC, Nationwide, Fidelis, Anti-Slavery International, and Transparency International, amongst others. It is free to use and accessible to all organisations, large and small across the financial sector and beyond.

Last month the UK government released figures for the number of potential victims of modern slavery referred to the Home Office in 2021. It shows a 20% increase compared to the preceding year. Meanwhile, as the Ukrainian refugee crisis worsens many of those fleeing - overwhelmingly women and children – are facing serious human trafficking facing risks at the Ukrainian borders and along their journey to destination countries. The business of modern slavery and human trafficking is thriving in the UK and beyond. It is not only a lucrative business; it is also a financial crime.

Far from having a backseat role, the financial sector is at the front line. Far from having a backseat role, the financial sector is at the front line. It is connected to trafficking and slavery in three ways: proceeds of these crimes will often end up being handled by it; it invests in and lends to businesses that may be knowingly or unknowingly benefiting from trafficking and the exploitation of labour; and, by providing financial services to those that are currently excluded, the financial sector can significantly reduce vulnerabilities.

 


Watch the video to learn more: Anti-Slavery Digital Learning on Vimeo

Access the training: MSHT Training — THEMIS (themisservices.co.uk)

 

UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Dame Sara Thornton said,

“Slavery and trafficking are economic crimes, where the commodity is a person who is exploited to make money. The responsibility to tackle modern slavery lies with us all; no single entity can address this alone. It demands a collective and collaborative response.”

OSCE Special Representative and Co-Ordinator for combating trafficking of human beings, Valiant Richey noted,

“There is no other crime that exists that is so large, so expansive and so profitable, where human beings are the product as occurs with modern slavery and human trafficking.”

Themis CEO Dickon Johnstone said,

“Modern Slavery is a multi-million-pound business that’s all about the money. Traffickers are preying on the most vulnerable - men, women and children - and using them as a commodity, in the same way they might profit from drugs, arms and counterfeit goods. In fact, in many cases, there is a strong convergence with other serious and organised crimes all played out as part of a larger criminal enterprise.”

Kim Ann Williamson MBE, Chair of the UK Modern Slavery Training Delivery Group said,

“I am delighted to be launching this new training and I urge financial institutions to lead the way by embedding this modern slavery training within their organisations to influence raising awareness and protecting their customers from exploitation.”

Hope Sherwin, Head of Social Impact for Themis said,

“It is critical that all institutions screen their clients, investments, suppliers and 3rd parties against dedicated lists of convicted traffickers to make sure that there are no direct or indirect links to slavery within your business operations.”

Johnathan Bell, Partner at RedCompass Labs said,

“There are only two types of payments - good and bad. We all need to play a part in detecting and disrupting the bad payments.”

 

 

 

 

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For further information please contact:

 

Themis: Hope Sherwin hope.sherwin@themisservices.co.uk mobile +44 (0) 7771880387 Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s Office: Jessica Roberts jessica.roberts6@iasc.independent.gov.uk   mobile: +44 (0)7765 444387