According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), an estimated 21 million people are victims of forced labor around the world. As defined by the ILO, forced labor refers to “situations in which persons are coerced to work through the use of violence or intimidation, or by more subtle means such as accumulated debt, retention of identity papers or threats of denunciation to immigration authorities.” The agricultural sector alone (including forestry and fishing) generates an estimated US$9 billion in illegal profits from forced labor each year.
The KnowTheChain benchmark evaluates corporate efforts to assess forced labor risks in their supply chains. The report found that food and beverage companies demonstrate a growing awareness and commitment to addressing forced labor, but need to particularly adapt their traceability, purchasing, and recruitment policies and practices to better understand
and address the specific risks inherent to their sector.
Executive Summary The risk of forced labour is pervasive across today’s food and beverage supply chains: from tea pickers on tea estates to crew members on fishing vessels and labourers on cattle and poultry ranches, cocoa farms, and rice mills....
A sector-specific case example ‘The Swedish County Councils’ in-depth review of the human rights policies and due diligence of its IT contractor, Atea, and subcontractor, Dell, to respect workers’ rights has helped increase both companies’ ca...Read More
The ILO’s Flagship International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour and Forced Labour (IPEC+) has ongoing operations in 62 countries, all of which are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme has developed business continuity pla...Read More
The international community has declared that the persistence of child labour in today’s world is unacceptable and, in the Sustainable Development Goals, has renewed its commitment to eliminating all forms of child labour by 2025. This report aims...Read More
The commentary explains how and why the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights should apply throughout the maritime environment to all business enterprises and in all business operations throughout the maritime supply chain, both on land ...Read More
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