Britain fights slavery with tough new law as part of global battle

[inanna]

Source: Reuters

Wed Mar 25, 2015 3:12pm EDT

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Human traffickers may face life imprisonment under a British law passed on Wednesday to crack down on modern-day slavery, one of a raft of measures designed to lead the way in combating the $150 billion a year industry.

With an estimated 13,000 victims of forced labor, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude in Britain, the government has come under pressure to act before parliament is dissolved ahead of a tightly contested general election in May.

The Modern Slavery Bill increases the maximum jail sentence for traffickers to life from 14 years and allows the authorities to seize traffickers' assets and force them to pay compensation to their victims.

It also brings in measures to protect people feared at risk of being enslaved and requires businesses to disclose what action they have taken to ensure their supply chains are free of slave labor.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/25/us-britain-slavery-law-idUSKBN0ML2D820150325?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

1. Good!

Anyone know what the penalty is in this country?

[closeupready]

2. Kind of sad, in a way, that the US isn't leading the charge on fighting modern slavery.

And ironically, it's the UK which is doing so, when the institution of human slavery in the post-Enlightenment West was heavily exploited by the English in their colonies.

[DavidDvorkin]

3. Britain led the fight against slavery in the past, as well

Long before the United States joined in.

[awoke_in_2003]

4. Yep. nt

[appalachiablue]

6. They did indeed, Lord Mansfield's decision with the Zong slave ship, the Clapham group,

Thomas Clarkson, Equiano, PM Wilber Wilberforce, Quakers there and here. Loved the movie, 'Amazing Grace' and 'Belle', recent Brit. film on Mansfield's biracial niece, Dido Elizabeth. There were about 15,000 African workers in England c. 1780 and their status was unclear. Some were abducted to sell in other ports, as in 'Twelve Years a Slave'. God awful institution, cannot believe there's modern forms esp. in the west.

[AngryAmish]

5. Can this be used against pimps?

[appalachiablue]

7. Thanks for the good news on this terrible, debased practice.

[Liberal_in_LA]

8. good