Leading figures in the fight against modern day slavery gathered on Wednesday for the High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire’s Business Conference at Cripps Court to discuss a Cambridgeshire and Peterborough-wide modern day slavery charter aimed at tackling the issue, with the keynote speech delivered by former British Prime Minister, Baroness Theresa May.
At the heart of the discussion was the prospect of a Cambridgeshire and Peterborough-wide modern day slavery charter which was presented to some of the region’s business leaders to commit to, to ensure their business and their supply chains guard against modern day slavery. Across the participants was a universal desire for such a charter to not just be business focused but to be endorsed and adopted by citizens too. The aim is for Cambridgeshire to become the first county to be free of modern day slavery, which is estimated to effect approximately 50 million people across the world, with approximately 100,000 in the UK.
Hosted by law firm Birketts, the event saw the county’s business community gather to hear from those leading the way in tackling modern day slavery, including Caroline Haughey OBE KC who is regarded as one of the leading legal experts in human trafficking and modern slavery in the UK, Sarah Woodcock CEO of the Anti Slavery Collective, Nick Dean, Chief Constable of the Cambridgeshire Police and other members of the Charter Committee set up by High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire David Way, who has focused his term on cracking down on modern day slavery in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Speakers contributing to the discussion included Jonathan Agar DL (Chief Executive, Birketts), Doug Field OBE (former CEO, East of England Co-op), John Shropshire OBE, (Chairman G’s Fresh Group of Companies), Arnab Dutt OBE (Policy Champion for Procurement and Social Value, Federation of Small Businesses) and Lucy Crumplin (COO of Cambridge Building Society).
High Sheriff David Way said: “Slavery is a terrible evil. It strips victims of their rights, dignity, and their very humanity. It is shocking that it is a feature of life today in this county. Businesses have a vital part to play in combatting this evil; current UK legislation puts responsibility on some businesses to employ certain safeguards. My hope, however, goes beyond this bare minimum— it is to encourage businesses to agree on and adopt a Cambridgeshire and Peterborough-wide modern day slavery charter, as a big step on the road to the ultimate prevention of slavery in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. I am so grateful to the business and civic leaders who took part in the conference for their willingness to share this vision.”
Caroline Haughey OBE KC said: “Modern Slavery is the pandemic of our generation – something which we believed to have been abolished 300 years ago. The desire and drive of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough businesses and organisations who attended the event reflected a desire on their part to lead by example and demonstrated that good employment practice, an understanding of the who’s, what’s and whys of this offending and sharing of information does not undermine business success but rather enhances it. A Cambridgeshire and Peterborough-wide charter crafted by the participants reflected the determination that modern slavery will not be tolerated.”
Baroness Theresa May said: “I was grateful to the High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Birketts for holding this important Business Conference on Modern Slavery. It is encouraging to see so many businesses proactively engaging in eliminating this heinous crime. Their commitment to creating ethical supply chains and raising awareness is essential in ensuring Cambridgeshire is an area where modern slavery has no place. I hope, that in Cambridgeshire taking the lead on this issue, others will follow and together, we can make a real difference.”
Arnab Dutt OBE, Policy Champion for Procurement and Social Value at the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “Equality of opportunity is vital for a society where everyone can fulfil their potential. Modern Slavery is the antithesis of that and a commitment to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough-wide Modern Slavery Charter is so important.”
Jonathan Agar, Chief Executive at law firm Birketts, added: “The UK has come a long way in tackling modern day slavery, and we were fortunate enough to hear from some of the architects of those efforts on Wednesday. The concept of a Cambridgeshire and Peterborough-wide Charter is the next step in dealing with this very serious issue.”