LEGISLATIVE changes to improve protections against modern slavery are being considered by the government, according to the chief executive of an anti-modern-slavery charity following a recent seminar in the Island.
James Clarry, of Justice and Care, was among the speakers at the Institute of Directors’ “Hidden in Plain Sight: Modern Day Slavery in Offshore Jurisdictions” breakfast event.
He said he was left “very encouraged” by conversations he had during his visit, and said he could see a “clear desire” among local stakeholders to help tackle the issue.
Justice and Care is a UK-based charity, which seeks to combat modern slavery and human trafficking.
Prior to his visit, Mr Clarry told the JEP that, based on numbers seen in UK, there could be as many as 200 modern slavery victims in the Island – and that approximately 75% would be migrants.
At the time, he raised concerns about whether Jersey was doing enough to address the issue, which he described as a “very murky underworld” that needed to be exposed.
But following his visit, Mr Clarry – whose background in law and finance includes time as deputy chief executive of private bank Coutts – said he was “very encouraged”.
Other speakers at the IoD event included Maria Bridson, an Isle of Man-based immigration and corporate lawyer, as well as Tristan Forster, chief executive of FSI Worldwide.
Mr Clarry said that he spoke to “a wide number of stakeholders” during his time in Jersey, including politicians and civil servants.
He continued: “What was very clear was a desire for everyone to move forward on the modern slavery agenda, in recognition that the Island has limited resources and can’t deploy specialists in the way that a much larger jurisdiction would.
“However, there was a complete openness to learn from the experiences outside of Jersey.”
Mr Clarry also noted a conversation with a “senior government official”, who expressed an interest in exploring possible legislative changes to improve protections against modern slavery – and invited Justice and Care back to Jersey to discuss the matter further.
“We will come back in 2026,” Mr Clarry said. “There was loads happening before we came – there’s so much energy put in by people like Beatriz Porée, Kate Wright, Tristan Forster.”
A global issue
There are an estimated 50 million victims of modern slavery and human trafficking globally, including 122,000 in the UK.
Several years ago, a Work Permit Holder Welfare Review Panel chaired by Deputy Beatriz Porée was established to scrutinise the welfare of work-permit holders coming to Jersey.
The evidence subsequently submitted to the panel included included allegations of bullying, victimisation and sexual harassment.
