When moving towards mitigating or ultimately preventing trafficking in human beings and labour exploitation (THB/LE) in supply chains, a wider perspective is needed, one that includes human rights and decent working conditions. THB/LE is the extreme end of the spectrum of labour exploitation. In practice it is often difficult to differentiate clearly whether a severe case has passed the legal threshold, or despite being below that threshold can nevertheless be seen as exploitation. Ex- ploitation might include infringing a worker’s legal or contractual rights, or working conditions that are poor or unacceptable, such as unpaid overtime, recruitment fees, or hazardous work conditions without adequate personal protective equipment. If poor treatment of workers and poor working conditions remain unchallenged, they become normalized and create an environment that enables more severe exploitation.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 21 million people are currently victims of forced labour. Employers are committed to the elimination of this abhorrent practice. Not only does it create unfair competition and ultimately aff...Read More
"Implementing Gender-Responsive Employment Contracts" analyses current methods used to monitor the implementation of contracts and makes recommendations to strengthen accountability against the terms of employment contracts. This article is the t...Read More
The year 2021 marked another discouraging year in terms of remedy for complaints by communities and civil society under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (Guidelines). Only 2 of the 22 cases concluded in 2021 by National Contact Poin...Read More
Together with the London Working Group, the Human Trafficking Foundation has produced the Referral pathway for adult victims to help Local Authorities improve their response to human trafficking and modern slavery, in particular the identification an...Read More
2025 © Copyright, RESPECT International. All Rights Reserved. Website Disclaimer | Privacy Policy
