Modern Slavery in Liner Shipping: An Empirical Analysis of Corporate Statements

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Abstract

Modern slavery and human trafficking present an inherent risk to workers engaged in operations surrounding shipping activities. One of the first statutes addressing the problem was the UK Modern Slavery Act [MSA], which presents several statutory sanctions for shipping companies in case of non-compliance. The article examines the sanctions available under different provisions of MSA as applied specifically to shipping activities.
As a further step, the article conducts an empirical analysis of the reporting practices of liner shipping operators, eligible for compliance under MSA. In addition to the rates of compliance, it engages in content analysis of the modern slavery statements, seeking to identify the uniform patterns of reporting and industry best practices.
The last part of the article discusses whether corporate undertakings as reported in modern slavery statements may serve as a ground for tort liability, similarly to the supply chain or ‘production liability’ emerging from group policies and codes of conduct.
Original languageEnglish
Article number1
JournalThe International Journal of Comparative Labour Law and Industrial Relations
Volume40
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)1-36
Number of pages36
ISSN0952-617X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2024

Keywords

  • Faculty of Law
  • UK Modern Slavery Act
  • liner shipping
  • corporate liability for group policies
  • extraterritorial regulation

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