Modern Slavery is the focus of Benromach talk attended by Police Scotland, Johnstons, Harper MacLeod and The Scottish Government

SLAVERY was the focus of a well-attended talk at Benromach Distillery in Forres.

Representatives from many of Moray's major businesses attended the talk, which took place on March 30, to learn more about modern slavery and how it affects the north-east of Scotland.
Scotland Against Modern Slavery (SAMS) was founded by Shan Saba in 2021 to raise awareness of human trafficking and help victims. Fifty-nine businesses across Scotland are members of the group.

SAMS put on a presentation, with around 35 people turning up to share their own stories and learn more. Police Scotland told of a 220 per cent rise in recorded human trafficking in Scotland and talked broadly about their specialist crime division. The Scottish Government's human trafficking and exploitation team spoke about their role in preventing trafficking.

A local aspect was added by businesses from across Moray, with Johnstons of Elgin talking about the protocols they use to ensure forced labour isn't in their supply chain – talking particularly about working with people from Mongolia and China

Harper MacLeod talked about the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and what it means for businesses to be compliant with the legislation

Shan Saba said that human trafficking is a crime with a number of victims across the north-east. "It affects businesses across Scotland – victims have been rescued in all 32 local authorities," he said.

"The rural nature of Moray can itself pose a risk as it's harder to be seen and found. Across the north-east, we have supported victims that have been rescued in the fishing and agricultural sectors." Scotland Against Modern Slavery is funded by Brightwork Recruitment and has two offices – one in Elgin and one in Glasgow. The group has helped 17 survivors of slavery into work Scotland-wide, with all 59 businesses that are members agreeing to support victims into work.

Mr Saba praised the commitment of local businesses to the cause He added: "Moray businesses are so good at doing the right thing – the first five businesses to join SAMS were all from Moray.

"They didn't question joining, they joined because it was the right thing to do. We had a lot of positive feedback from people who said they had learned a lot, understood issue and how to combat it. The willingness of businesses to show up, listen and learn was heartwarming. Moray businesses lead Scotland in the fight against modern slavery and I'm proud to be a part of that."

Article by Jonathan Clark - HNM
Pictures by Daniel Forsyth