Modern slavery and human trafficking statement

Introduction

Modern slavery is a heinous crime and a morally reprehensible act that deprives a person's liberty and dignity for another person's gain.

It is a real problem for millions of people around the world, including many in developed countries, who are being kept and exploited in various forms of slavery. Every company is at risk of being involved in this crime through its own operations and its supply chain.

At Studee, we have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery, and are fully committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking in our operation and supply chain. We have taken concrete steps to tackle modern slavery, as outlined in this statement.

This statement sets out the actions that we have taken to understand all potential modern slavery risks related to our business and to implement steps to prevent slavery and human trafficking during the financial year 2022.

Our business and supply chains

We establish a relationship of trust and integrity with all our suppliers, which is built upon mutually beneficial factors. Our supplier selection and on-boarding procedure include due diligence of the supplier's reputation, respect for the law, compliance with health, safety, and environmental standards, and references.

We haven't been made aware of any allegations of human trafficking/slavery activities against any of our suppliers, but if we were, then we would act immediately against the supplier and report it to the authorities.

Policies

Studee operates the following policies for identifying and preventing slavery and human trafficking in our operations:

Whistleblowing policy - we encourage all employees, customers and suppliers to report any suspicion of slavery or human trafficking without fear of retaliation. Any concerns should be reported as per our whistleblowing policy.
Code of conduct - our code encourages employees to do the right thing by clearly stating the actions and behavior expected of them when representing the business. We strive to maintain the highest standards of employee conduct and ethical behavior when operating abroad and managing our supply chain.
Purchasing code - we have updated our purchasing code and supplier contracts to make explicit reference to slavery and human trafficking.

Supplier due diligence

Studee conducts due diligence on all new suppliers during on-boarding and on existing suppliers at regular intervals. This includes:

Assessing risks in the provision of particular services
Auditing the suppliers, and their health and safety standards, labor relations and employee contracts
Requiring improvements to substandard employment practices
Sanctioning suppliers that fail to improve their performance in line with our requirements

We require all suppliers to attest that:

They don't use any form of forced, compulsory or slave labor
Their employees work voluntarily and are entitled to leave work
They provide each employee with an employment contract that contains a reasonable notice period for terminating their employment
They don't require employees to post a deposit or bond and don't withhold their salaries for any reasons
They don't require employees to surrender their passports or work permits as a condition of employment

Training

Studee has rolled out training to all team members and supplier contacts, which covers:

Various forms of modern slavery in which people can be held and exploited
The size of the problem and the risk to our organization
How employees can identify the signs of slavery and human trafficking, including unrealistically low prices
How employees should respond if they suspect slavery or human trafficking
How suppliers can escalate potential slavery or human trafficking issues to the relevant people within their own organization
What external help is available for the victims of slavery
What terms and guidance should be provided to suppliers in relation to slavery policies and controls
What steps Studee will take if a supplier fails to implement anti-slavery policies or controls
An attestation from employees that they will abide by Studee's anti-slavery policy

This statement covers 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022 and has been approved by Simon Andrews, COO & Co-Founder of Studee on 27 December 2021.