#askthequestion

Take part and #askthequestion - is this product or service slave free?

#askthequestion was first launched by the Modern Slavery Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2016. It encouraged people to share a photo of something they bought or a service they used and to post it on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to the business which made or provided it, asking “is this slave free?” and using both hashtags #askthequestion and #slavefree. 

Businesses were encouraged to respond with a link to their slavery and human trafficking statement or an admission that this is something with which they so far failed to comply.

Research

Our research told us that 80% of people in the UK weren't aware that big businesses in the UK (with a global annual turnover of £36 million) are legally obligated under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (section 54) to tell people what they are doing to make sure they and their suppliers don’t use slave labour. Read more about our research here. A third of respondents didn’t think that businesses are doing enough to ensure people are not being used as slaves in their organisations and supply chains. 

Many businesses were falling short of what was needed to ensure the slave-free Britain that government, police, NGOs and other stakeholders in the sector were calling for. 

You can help:

• Ask companies to tell you what they are doing to ensure their supply chains are slave-free
• Join the conversation on social media using hashtag #askthequestion
• Donate to us so we can continue to support those in need
• Follow The Salvation Army on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay updated with the latest news on taking action on modern slavery