Tēnā koutou katoa,
At present I am recovering from Covid, and I wish you all a healthful winter season!
At the BPW International Congress in November, we will put forward a resolution that seeks government action on modern slavery. It is timely to korero about this, as July 30th is UN World Day against Trafficking in Persons. We would like to see all governments, including our own:
a) introduce legislation requiring all businesses take action to prevent, mitigate or remedy any instances of modern slavery or worker exploitation in their domestic or international operations or supply chains,
b) impose graduated levels of action and reporting requirements commensurate with the size and resources of the business, and
c) require mandatory contract clauses to prevent Modern Slavery.
The scale of modern slavery
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) advises that “forced labour and slavery are not a thing of the past. They have ancient roots in history and still exist today in many different forms. In fact, there are more people in slavery today than at any other time in history.” Their definition of forced or compulsory labour is: “all work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily.”
A 2022 report produced in collaboration between the ILO, Walk Free and the International Organization for Migration estimated that 50 million people were living in modern slavery in 2021, of which almost half were trapped in forced marriage. The report found that the number of people in modern slavery has risen significantly in the last five years.
The disproportionate impact on women & children
Women and children are disproportionately vulnerable to modern slavery. Modern slavery occurs in almost every country in the world, and cuts across ethnic, cultural, socio-economic status and religious lines. The considerable majority of victim-survivors of human trafficking are women (46%) or children (34%) (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime). Globally it is estimated that one in four victims of modern slavery are children (Unseen UK). More than half (52 per cent) of all forced labour and a quarter of all forced marriages can be found in upper-middle income or high-income countries.
The industry setting
63% of forced labour happens in the private economy, according to the ILO Global Business Network on Forced Labour. International NGO, Walk Free, describes the products most at-risk of being produced with modern slavery (which G20 countries spend the most on) - Electronics, Garments, Palm oil, Solar panels and Textiles. Walk Free explains “Although the highest prevalence of forced labour is found in low-income countries, it is deeply connected to demand from higher-income countries. The production and movement of goods between countries – from the sourcing of raw materials to manufacturing, packaging, and transportation – creates complex and opaque supply chains, many of them tainted with forced labour.”
Legislative action
The UK and Australian Modern Slavery Acts require companies in all sectors to report on how they are addressing the risks of modern slavery in their direct operations and supply chains. Other countries with similar or part legislation are Canada, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Norway and the United States.
A review of the Australian act found the positive impacts includes the establishment of over 4,000 modern slavery statements, increased dialogue between government, the business community, civil society groups, government agencies, and universities about the Act’s requirements, compliance trends and best practice reporting, and increased awareness about the link between modern slavery practices and global supply chains.
New Zealand still has no specific legislation designed to deal with the problem. The Modern Slavery Reporting Bill drafted by the previous government last year has not progressed. In April this year, Prime Minister Luxton said "It's not a priority for us. We are focused on our quarterly action plan."
What can we do? Call on your local and national government representatives to make this a priority!
Thank you for your commitment to advocating for women's rights and human dignity.
Kind regards,Siobhan Dilly