The popular ITV soap Coronation Street is working with The Salvation Army to raise awareness of human trafficking.

One of the characters, Alina is living as a slave working for an unscrupulous boss. Her living and working conditions are akin to slavery and, while dramatic, have been deliberately portrayed to shock viewers into realising that modern slavery is still very much an issue even in 21st century Britain.

Since the now ex Prime Minister Teresa may introduced the Modern Slavery Act in 2015, the UK has delivered tough new penalties with life sentences for the worst offenders.

It has created a vital policing tool to stop anyone convicted of trafficking from travelling to a country where they are known to have exploited vulnerable people in the past.

It has delivered enhanced protection and support for victims and a world-leading transparency requirement on businesses to show that modern slavery is not taking place in their companies or their supply chains.

However, legislation does not mean that the problem is solved. As Prime Minister, May was also responsible for setting up the first ever government task force on modern slavery.

The onus is still on business to ensure that modern slavery is eliminated from their supply chain as well as ensuring staff have enough awareness training to feel confident in reporting anything which may indicate mistreatment of people.

Effective Modern Slavery courses should deliver awareness training and give staff the confidence they need to report signs of modern slavery in the workforce.

Every large company has a responsibility to publish a statement about what it is doing to prevent modern slavery in it’s business and supply chain. This means that any small organisation supplying larger ones and government organisations is likely to have to do the same to maintain it’s business.

Successful staff training will help your workforce understand how to spot and report signs of modern slavery so your organisation can be fulfilling a positive role in preventing this illegal and morally unacceptable practice.