MODERN SLAVERY

Introduction

Modern slavery, involving child labour, forced labour, and human trafficking, continues a grave issue within global supply chains, as emphasized by recent research (Han et al., 2022). This recent form of slavery catches individuals in situations of severe utilization, often removing them from the ability to leave their working situations (Bales, Trodd, and Williamson, 2009).

Despite the secret nature of modern slavery, estimations from organizations such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) suggest that millions of persons worldwide are exposed to this form of exploitation (Han et al., 2022). This utilisation takes various modes, including human trafficking, forced labour, and unlawful employment, severely limiting the sovereignty of workers and imposing considerable suffering (Trautrims et al., 2021).

Modern Slavery in 21^st Century

Modern slavery is a prevalent incident in today's world, linking various aspects of labour and daily life. People working in trades like garment manufacturing, agriculture, and domestic services such as housekeeping, or childcare are exposed to exploitation and enslavement. Many falls targeted modern slavery while pursuing to escape poverty and uncertainty or to support their families. Once get into these situations, they often experience violence, cruelty, and the removal of personal documents, rendering escape practically impossible.

Recent data gathered from the ILO and the IOM in 2022 showed the scale of modern slavery:

• An estimated 49.6 million people are subjected to modern slavery, forced labour, or forced marriage.
• Children constitute approximately a quarter of these victims.
• Forced marriages affect around 22 million individuals.
• Within the realm of forced labour, 27.6 million people are ensnared, with 17.3 million engaged in private sector work, 6.3 million subjected to sexual exploitation, and over 4 million coerced by governmental entities. 
• The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated conditions conducive to modern slavery.
• Migrant workers are especially susceptible to exploitation and forced labour.

Types of Modern Slavery

Nowadays, Modern slavery can be done in numerous ways.

These are the various types ;

• Human Trafficking

Human trafficking involves the forced recruitment, harbouring, or transportation of individuals through threats or violence, for purposes such as forced labour, forced prostitution, illegal marriage, organ collecting, or other exploitative purposes. It deprives individuals of their freedom and subjects them to various forms of exploitation and abuse.

• Forced Labour

Labour or assistance persuaded from individuals against their will, often under force, through threats, or because of punishing actions, constitutes forced labour.

• Debt Bondage/Bonded Labour

The most predominant form of slavery globally stems from the cases where individuals, often diminished, are left with no option but to borrow money and work to repay their debts. In this forced cycle, those in debt have slight to no control over their working conditions or the repayment of their loans.

• Descent-based slavery

Another form of slavery, frequently referred to as "slavery by birth," is deeply embedded and dates to ancient times. In this approach, individuals are treated as commodities from the moment of their birth, with their value controlled solely by their status as slaves.

• Domestic servitude

When correctly managed, domestic work and servitude can be a significant source of earnings for many people and are not always like slavery. However, these people may be especially exposed to exploitation, mistreatment, and enslavement when working in someone else's residence because they could be hidden from sight and without legal safeguards.

 How HR Should Respond

The HR department in a global organization has a big job in managing labour practices. But to tackle modern slavery and labour exploitation, everyone in the company needs to pitch in. It's really important to have training programs that involve everyone, from top management to regular staff. This shows that the whole company is committed to treating workers fairly.

Training is super important because it helps everyone understand the rules of modern slavery and stops exploitation in the supply chain. By getting insights from experts, HR departments can figure out how to prevent their company from being involved in modern slavery and unfair labour practices.

HR departments are like a bridge between the company and its employees. They play a key role in stopping labour exploitation. They can do things like checking supplier contracts and training employees to be aware of exploitation. This helps make sure the company follows the rules about modern slavery, which are important in many places.

 

References

Bales, K., Trodd, Z., & Williamson, A. K. (2009). Modern Slavery: The Secret World of 27 Million People. In Google Books. Oneworld. https://books.google.lk/books/about/Modern_Slavery.html?id=DPPtAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y#:~:text=There%20are%2027%20million%20slaves

Han, C., Jia, F., Jiang, M., & Chen, L. (2022). Modern slavery in supply chains: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13675567.2022.2118696

Kelly, A. (2014, September 17). Modern-day slavery rife in Malaysia’s electronics industry. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/sep/17/modern-day-slavery-malaysia-electronics-industry

Lalwani, S. K., Nunes, B., Chicksand, D., & Boojihawon, D. K. (Roshan). (2018). Benchmarking self-declared social sustainability initiatives in cocoa sourcing. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 25(9), 3986–4008. https://doi.org/10.1108/bij-07-2017-0186

Trautrims, A., Gold, S., Touboulic, A., Emberson, C., & Carter, H. (2020). The UK construction and facilities management sector’s response to the Modern Slavery Act: An intra‐industry initiative against modern slavery. BUSINESS STRATEGY & DEVELOPMENT, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/bsd2.158