The Government has marked Anti-Slavery Day by taking further action to implement sections of the Modern Slavery Act.

Coming into force this week are provisions to ensure young person who appears to be a child will be treated as a child until their age is formally established, a new rules to allow victims of domestic servitude to change to another employer, and a requirement for the Government to publish guidance about identifying and supporting victims.

The Government has also issued regulations which will come into force on 1 November about the new duty for public authorities to notify the Secretary of State when they suspect a person is a victim of human trafficking or modern day slavery.

These aspects of the Modern Slavery Act all have a role in achieving the aims expressed today by the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner of improving the way the authorities respond to victims, helping them become better at identifying them and then ensuring they receive the appropriate assistance and support.

The main provisions of the Modern Slavery Act came into force in July 2015.