Our Chief Executive was recently given the opportunity to raise awareness of modern slavery through recording a Ted Talk. Garry shared our work to transform branding into expressions of freedom and identity as part of his Ted Talk, recorded at the University of Bristol. He challenged those listening to recognise their role in ending modern slavery. Here’s an extract from Garry’s Ted Talk.
“The ending of modern slavery is not the task of just the police, the justice system or charities like my own – it requires communities to come together, to call out exploitation when they see it, to ask questions about why and how goods and services are so cheap.
If I could ask you to do three things today to help stamp out modern slavery it would be this:
1. Learn to spot the signs of modern slavery – someone who appears neglected, scared or being controlled by someone else could be a victim of modern slavery in your community – in a hand car wash, nail bar or acting as a maid for a neighbour.
2. Don’t turn a blind eye – report it to the police, local authority or one of the many charities, like my own, who will know what to do next.
3. Make ethical decisions about your purchases, if it only costs a fiver for 6 people to wash your car by hand it could be because the workers are being exploited. If they’re not wearing proper PPE, look neglected and appear frightened of the boss then they most definitely could be. We all love a bargain, but sometimes if something is cheap it’s because someone else is paying the price.”
