General Election 2010

Make tackling modern slavery an election issue!

With the general election fast approaching on the 6th May, you have the opportunity to lobby your local candidates on issues that matter to you, including slavery in the UK and around the world.

Your local parliamentary candidates need to respond to local people in order to win votes, therefore the upcoming election enables you to raise awareness of slavery issues among them and question them as to how their party will address slavery should they come into power. As many MPs are standing down, this election will see a vast number of new MPs coming into power and is therefore a key moment to engage with new parliamentary candidates on the issue of slavery. 

Anti-Slavery International has signed up to BOND’s Vote Global election manifesto, endorsed by over 150 other organisations, which calls on all political parties to commit to ensuring the UK does all it can to eradicate poverty and promote human rights. As part of the Vote Global campaign, BOND has produced a local activist general election toolkit to help you ensure your issues are heard. You can use these resources as a basis to press your local candidates to address modern slavery.

What you can do

1) Write to your prospective parliamentary candidates

Use the template letter below to ask your prospective parliamentary candidates where they stand on slavery issues and set out some key asks.

Click here to find out who your candidates are and how you can contact them.

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear………

I am writing to you as one of your local constituents as I am very concerned about the persistence of modern day slavery which affects over 12 million people both in the UK and around the world.

I would like know what, if elected, your party will do to tackle modern slavery to ensure my vote goes to a candidate that will address these significant issues.

In particular, I hope your party will:
•    Support the decent work agenda through the adoption of a new International Labour Organization convention on domestic work and by encouraging all developing countries with which the UK works to ratify and implement core ILO standards, including those on forced labour and the worst forms of child labour.
•    Introduce a UK Commission for Business and Human Rights mandated to ensure adherence of UK companies to international human rights standards.
•    Expand the remit of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to cover all industries using migrant or temporary labour in order to ensure that trafficking for forced labour is prevented in the UK, particularly in view of the forthcoming 2012 London Olympics which could potentially fuel an increase in trafficking.
•    Recognise that poverty and discrimination are a root cause of slavery today and commit significant funding to address slavery through development projects.

I very much hope these concerns will be addressed by your party, and that you will advocate for robust anti-slavery measures in the future.

Yours Sincerely

[Your Name]

2) Attend a local hustings and ask slavery-related questions

Look out for local publicity or click here to find out if there is an election hustings or Question Time you can attend in your area in order to question your local candidates about modern slavery.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS
•    What will your party do to tackle the phenomena of modern slavery around the world and ensure it is addressed as a symptom of poverty and discrimination?
•    How does your party plan to ensure that human trafficking in relation to the London Olympics in 2012 is prevented and that victims of trafficking in the UK have access to adequate services and protection?

3) Use the local media

Writing a letter to your local newspaper is a great way to get your concerns heard by other constituents and your local candidates. You can use the template letter above as a basis. Visit here for more information.


For further ideas or guidance on how to lobby your local parliamentary candidates on slavery-related issues, visit www.voteglobal.org.uk or contact Gemma Wolfes, Campaigns & Outreach Officer, at g.wolfes@antislavery.org, 020 7501 8936.