Corporate Non Compliance with Section 54 Modern Slavery Act 2015: "Nobody's kicking our ass"

Section 54 of the UK’s Modern Slavery Act requires certain companies to publish annual statements, detailing steps taken to manage risks of modern slavery. However, many companies still have yet to fulfill their most basic legal requirements. Prior research has largely examined the quality of published statements; thus, the reasons and remedies for non-compliance are not wholly understood. The present study directly sought the views of non-compliant companies, finding apathy and the lack of repercussions for non-compliance as central to their continuing inertia. We also argue for a number of measures, including stronger penalties and enforcement, to increase compliance rates.