Campaigns

Anti-Slavery poster in front of Big Ben

Guide: let decision-makers know that you don’t accept the exploitation of people for profit.

If you hear about goods made using forced labour being sold in the UK, it’s vital to let decision-makers know that you don’t accept the exploitation of people for profit. This guide is to help you do just that.

If you see a story in the news you can raise the issue with politicians who make laws that tell businesses what they can and can’t do, and tell retailers that you are not happy with them.  
 
Just make sure that you raise issues that have been reported by a reputable source such as the BBC, Financial Times, The Guardian, The Times and The Bureau of Investigative Journalists. This is because stories from outlets like these are fact-checked before being published. 

Don’t feel you need to be an expert in the nuts and bolts of an issue to raise it! Telling decision-makers that you care about something is often more important than knowing lots about it. If you do have expertise or direct experience of the topic at hand though, then please do talk about that too! 

  • MPs can only communicate with their constituents, so remember to include your full name, address and postcode in your letter or email 
  • Compose your message, including: 

– A statement of the issue (I am contacting you regarding reports in the media of ….) 

– What you think about it or how it makes you feel 

– Reference any expert opinion or experience that you may have 

– Ask what their thoughts on the issue are. If you know something about them you could include that here, for example: as someone who I know has acted/voted/spoken out on human rights/exploitation before… 

Top tip! If you want to find out a bit more about how your MP has voted in parliament before, or what they’ve said on key issues, you can look them up here: https://www.mysociety.org/wehelpyou/find-out-how-your-mp-voted/ 

– Ask them what they will do about it 

– Raise that we need better legislation that compels businesses to look for human rights abuses in their supply chains, and import control laws to prevent goods made using forced labour from being brought into the UK 

  • Send! 
  • If you get a response, please forward it to us at [email protected]. It’s really helpful to gather this information when we develop campaigns and talk to politicians and business bosses directly. Thank you! 

  • Finding the contact details of the right person to reach can sometimes take a bit of detective work, and every company is different, but don’t be discouraged!

– Look on the company’s website for an email or address for ‘customer services’ or ‘complaints’. Using a search engine can sometimes bring up this information more quickly. 

– You could also try to find the contact details of their ‘sustainability’ or ‘human rights’ departments. 

– Some businesses might make it possible to contact the manager of your local branch 

  • Compose your message, including: 

– A statement of the issue (I am contacting you regarding reports in the media of ….) 

– If you are a customer, tell them (e.g. I’ve been a loyal customer of [company] and have done my weekly food shop with you for x years) 

– What you think about it or how it makes you feel 

– Reference any expert opinion or experience that you may have 

– Ask what their thoughts on the issue are, and how it could have happened 

– Ask them what they will do about it 

  • Send!

If you are an employee of the company in question, and feel safe doing so, you can use the guide above to raise questions internally too. It can be a very powerful thing to do. 

If you are a shareholder of the company in question you have additional leverage! You can also send a letter to the Company Secretary: 

Want to go a bit deeper?

While telling politicians and company bosses that you care about exploitation in supply chains is the most important thing, if you want to add more detail or evidence to your email – or send relevant reports to them we have lots of resources for you.

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