Put a stop to modern slavery

FORCED LABOUR, SLAVE LABOUR, human trafficking – if you think these are problems that impact other parts of the world, think again. New research shows that up to $48 billion in Canadian imports every year have been tainted by child labour alone.

The number of people in modern slavery has risen significantly in the last five years. Globally, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 28 million people were living as forced labourers in 2021. That’s 10 million more than 2016 estimates. Women and children remain disproportionately vulnerable.

Modern slavery occurs in almost every country in the world, and cuts across ethnic, cultural and religious lines. Most cases of forced labour (86 percent) are found in the private sector, while the remaining 14 percent are in state-imposed situations.

“It is shocking that the situation of modern slavery is not improving. Nothing can justify the persistence of this fundamental abuse of human rights,” said ILO director-general, Guy Ryder.

“We know what needs to be done, and we know it can be done. Effective national policies and regulation are fundamental. But governments cannot do this alone. International standards provide a sound basis, and an allhands-on-deck approach is needed. Trade unions, employers’ organizations, civil society and ordinary people all have critical roles to play.”

I would add corporations to that list. Preventing and avoiding the use of forced labour should be at the top of companies’ ethical sourcing priorities. Due diligence in selecting suppliers, and vetting their suppliers, is critical if we are to stop this reprehensible practice.

In this issue we look at two examples of government action that will penalize companies found to be relying on slavery for production of their goods. Canada’s parliament is considering a bill that will require companies to publicly report on their efforts to prevent the use of forced labour and child labour within their global supply chains (See page 8). In the US, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) specifically targets imports from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China where forced labour is prevalent (page 22).

President & Managing Partner | Delon Rashid Head of Sales & Managing Partner | Peter Bulmer

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Such legislative initiatives are a step in the right direction, but until companies around the world govern themselves and enforce their own ethical sourcing mandates, it will be impossible to eradicate the use of slaves. What is your organization doing to ensure it’s not part of the problem?