In 2015, the Westminster UK government introduced a Modern Slavery Act described by its proponents as ‘world-leading’. This description was challenged at the time both inside and outside the UK. Two years on, it is possible to make a preliminary assessment of progress with the Act and its two counterparts in Scotland and Northern Ireland.1 This article reviews the origins of discussions about modern slavery in the UK, describes the process leading to the passage of the Modern Slavery Act(s) and attempts an early evaluation of their effectiveness. It concludes that much remains to be done to ensure that they achieve their goal of abolishing modern slavery in the UK. © 2017 by the author; licensee Cogitatio (Lisbon, Portugal).

Human trafficking Forced labour Legislation modern slavery

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