LEGISLATION to combat slavery officially came into force today.
The Modern Day Slavery Act will significantly enhance the support and protection available to victims of modern day slavery, give law enforcement the vital tools they need to target today’s slave drivers and ensure perpetrators can be severely punished.
The Act consolidates and simplifies existing modern slavery offences into one Act and increases the maximum sentence available for the most serious offenders from 14 years to life imprisonment.
Powers to encourage reparation orders, for courts to use seized assets from perpetrators to compensate victims, have also come into force.
The bill - which was given Royal Assent in March - aims to consolidate offences used to prosecute those who enslave others into a single act.
It also gives courts powers to impose orders to restrict the activities of suspected traffickers.
You can read more about the Act here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/30/contents/enacted
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here