Toybox Statement on the Modern Slavery Act 2015
What is modern slavery?
Modern slavery affects over 40 million men, women and children globally, including within the UK. It is a crime which forces people, illegally, to work against their will, for little or no payment. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires commercial organisations supplying goods or services with a turnover of over £36 million to prepare and publish an annual ‘Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement’. This Statement must set out the steps the organisation has taken, if any, during its financial year to ensure slavery or human trafficking is not taking place in its supply chain.
The Toybox Charity
Toybox is an international development charity and as such, although we are nowhere near the income threshold of £36 million felt it was appropriate, due to the nature of our work; we should have a modern slavery statement.
Toybox has a zero tolerance stance on acts of modern slavery and any forms of human trafficking and will not accept any such action by its employees, partners, agencies, suppliers, contractors, consultants or volunteers.
Our Policy
The purpose of this policy is to address the anti-modern slavery laws and adopt procedures to ensure that modern day slavery does not occur in our organisation or supply chain; and we expect all the organisations that we do business with to adopt and enforce polices which comply with current legislation.
We want to ensure: our values are embedded throughout the organisation and all people who come into contact with Toybox and treated with respect and dignity.
Our structure and supply chain
Toybox has a very limited supply chain; currently this consists of suppliers who provide office support, office supplies and companies who support the organisation with Marketing and Fundraising campaigns.
In respect to our development work with overseas partners; all the partners we work with are separate legal entities with their own Boards who operate autonomously from Toybox and are in control of their own purchasing and employment decisions. However, when partners sign MOUs with Toybox, there are a series of documents that by signing they are also agreeing to adhere to. In organisational MOUs signed since 2019, this has included this Modern-Day Slavery statement.
Transparency within our supply chain
To reduce the risk of unethical practices and to ensure that our supply chain is transparent, ethical and legal we carry out checks to ensure that all our partners and suppliers:
- are financially stable;
- operate in accordance with Toybox’s anti-bribery policy;
- are not on a sanctions list and where possible also verify their own partners/suppliers;
- have their own ethical and safeguarding policies or will abide by Toybox’s policies and;
- operate in line with UK legislation and relevant legislation in operating countries
Supporting policies and procedures
As part of our commitment to combating modern slavery, we currently have the following policies in place:
- Toybox Donations Acceptance Policy
- Toybox Whistleblowing Policy
- Toybox Child and Youth Safeguarding Policy
- Toybox Vulnerable Persons Policy
- Toybox Risk Policy
Additionally we ensure the following:
- Robust recruitment processes in line with UK employment laws
- Market related pay
- Wellbeing activities which support the physical and mental wellbeing of all employees
Supporting our people
All staff and volunteers will have a copy of this policy and access to the Whistleblowing Policy which includes information on how to report any concerns they may have.
This statement is made in accordance with Section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes Toybox's modern slavery and human trafficking statement.
Working to prevent Modern Day Slavery
Toybox programmes directly support extremely vulnerable children and young people, many of whom are at increased risk of trafficking or other forms of slavery such as exploitative child labour. Interventions such as formal and non-formal education, parenting classes, vocational and/or skills training, family re-unification and support to secure their legal identification documents, are helping to reduce the risks of modern-day slavery for these vulnerable children and young people.