Today the Government announced that £10m will be put towards a new modern slavery research centre, to help tackle the problem across the UK.

The Prime Minister made the announcement as part of the Government’s response to the Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act.

The new centre will bring together academics, businesses and charities to promote new studies, share knowledge and make sure collaboration at home and overseas is improved.

Its main aim is to help efforts to uncover the full extent of modern slavery and to expose more modern slavery networks, like the one recently identified operating in England.

Last year, it was estimated that there are 136,000 people in some form of modern slavery across the UK, a number ten times higher than was previously thought.

Response

Prime Minister, Theresa May said: “More than a 100 years ago the world condemned slavery to the history books, but the stark reality for around 40 million men, women and children is that they are still trapped in modern slavery.

There is much we can be proud of in our progress so far, but we need to accelerate our efforts, better share knowledge and build on our expertise.

That is why we commissioned an Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act to ensure our laws are keeping pace with the rapidly evolving nature of these crimes, and why I am pleased to support new, innovative research to inform global efforts to end this barbaric crime by 2030.”

CARE’s Senior Policy Officer – Human Trafficking, Louise Gleich said: “This is a really significant announcement from the Prime Minister.

“She has consistently shone a light on this injustice, both as Home Secretary and as PM.

“The new centre will help ensure more research into the scale of modern slavery and allow for agencies and experts to share advice and knowledge about the best ways to tackle this inhumane crime.”

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