Modern Slavery Assessment for Business

GD Working in collaboration with Deloitte France, GD partner Richard J Rogers was engaged to carry out a human rights impact assessment for a company operating in the Middle East. The HRIA was conducted in the context of the statutory reporting requirements mandated by the UK Modern Slavery Act of 2015 (MSA). The objectives of the HRIA were three-fold: (a) to identify any site-level practices that result in adverse human rights impacts; (b) to evaluate and rank the significance of any such risks; and (c) to recommend any necessary remedial measures to be implemented at site or HQ level. 

The HRIA was structured around a set of predefined assessment criteria, with a critical focus on the working conditions of project staff as well as the site’s subcontracted labor population. Given the specific focus of the MSA and the prevailing labor conditions in the Middle East, particular attention was directed to the migrant workforce, where the risks of non-conformity with the selected assessment criteria was deemed to be much greater. The onsite assessment was conducted by a senior member of GD’s Business & Human Rights Task Force.  The final report was well received and assisted the company to improve its practices and minimise rights abuses.