Illicit trade fuels modern slavery. Human trafficking is a highly lucrative line of business for the global criminal network that also engages in the trade of drugs, wildlife, counterfeit products, etc. These criminals reap profit not only from the trading of human beings but also from exploiting the victims to produce, distribute and finance their illicit trade operations.

This research aims to understand the nexus between modern slavery and illicit trade by analyzing how modern slavery is involved in the value chains of different types of illicit trade operations. From laborers who are forced to produce counterfeit products with little to no compensation, to women that are coerced into sexual labor to make money for organized crime groups, we identified that modern slavery can be found in each step of the illicit trade value chains.

Illicit trade and modern slavery - Junghoon Park, Kelsie Imus, Alyssa Klotz, Jelena Pejovic (Mekong Club and Erb Institute at University of Michigan), May 2022 DOWNLOAD

post

page

attachment

revision

nav_menu_item

custom_css

customize_changeset

oembed_cache

user_request

wp_block

wp_template

wp_template_part

wp_global_styles

wp_navigation

wp_font_family

wp_font_face

acf-taxonomy

acf-post-type

acf-field-group

acf-field

ai1ec_event

exactmetrics_note

Hidden, Unprotected, and Vulnerable: Supporting Informal RMG Workers in Bangladesh
News & Analysis

An analysis of Bangladesh’s existing legal standards for the apparel industry reveals significant gaps in protections for workers in the informal ready-made garment (RMG) sector. This study, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago with supp...Read More

Unbearable Harassment: The Fashion Industry and Widespread Abuse of Female Garment Workers in Indian Factories
News & Analysis

Gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) has been well documented in fashion supply chains for decades. Despite this, the realities for women garment workers – who toil to make the clothes in our closets – has remained largely unchanged. T...Read More

Underground Lives: Aspirational Britain: Survivors of Modern Slavery Want to Work Too
News & AnalysisPublications

Britain is in an employment crisis. Labour shortages are hitting record highs and firms are recruiting from abroad which is costly. At the same time there are currently more than 7,000 survivors of modern slavery who are being supported by the G...Read More

TAGS: Europe
Corporate Human Rights Benchmark – Across sectors: Agricultural products, Apparel, Automotive manufacturing, Extractives & ICT manufacturing
News & AnalysisGood Practices

The CHRB is part of WBA, which seeks to generate a movement around increasing the private sector’s impact towards a sustainable future for all. The CHRB produces benchmarks that rank global companies on their human rights performance. WBA is d...Read More