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<p>The Government is committed to tackling all forms of modern slavery and through
the Modern Slavery Act 2015, we have given law enforcement agencies the tools to tackle
modern slavery, including maximum life sentences for perpetrators and enhanced protection
for victims. Modern slavery is a complex crime that requires an end-to-end response
both nationally and internationally – and that is why we are investing in a multi-agency
approach across a range of activities, which include:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Setting up
a Modern Slavery Fund in 2016 to reduce modern slavery in the UK and overseas. Between
2016 and March 2022, £32.6m of Official Development Assistance has been invested,
including in projects to strengthen law enforcement responses; protect victims from
re-trafficking; and prevent people from being trafficked from countries where high
numbers of people are trafficked to the UK;</li><li>Introducing, in 2016, tools to
tackle businesses who repeatedly or recklessly commit labour market offences and expanding
the role and remit of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority in 2017, giving specially
trained officers new police powers to prevent, detect and investigate serious labour
exploitation across the entire economy. The Government spends £33 million a year on
state enforcement of employment rights;</li><li>Supporting the police to improve the
national response to modern slavery and organised immigration crime through £16.5m
of funding since 2016, to the Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Unit
to provide a bespoke intelligence hub, improved training and regional operational
coordinators to support individual police forces;</li><li>Cracking down on county
lines gangs who are exploiting children. This includes up to £5m to fund specialist
support provided by Catch22 for under 25s who are criminally exploited and trafficked
through county lines in specific areas;</li><li>Investing in research into what works
to prevent slavery, as well as assessing risks of modern slavery in policy development,
to ensure that opportunities for exploitation are minimised; and</li><li>Designing
the Immigration Rules governing our Overseas Domestic Worker route to prevent the
importation of exploitative practices to the UK.</li></ul>
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