Recognizing forced labour’s predictability could mean more effective solutions
Tackling forced labour requires acknowledging its structural role in supply chains, the global humanitarian system lacks state support and could be at risk of collapse, and civil society in Europe is hampered by multiple factors.
A labour rights and supply chain expert has refuted the common description of forced labour as a “hidden crime”, arguing in a new blog post that it is surrounded by entirely predictable business model and supply chain patterns. Forced labour is not just easy to find within supply chains, but is a structural phenomenon that results when predictable, system-wide dynamics intersect to create a supply of highly exploitable workers and a business demand for their labour, according to Genevieve LeBaron, Professor of Public Policy at Simon Fraser University and Co-Principal Investigator at Re:Structure Lab.
For instance, we know that forced labour thrives in labour-intensive, low-skilled production activities, such as raw material extraction and agriculture, as well as industries with immense time and cost pressures, including the electronics and garment sectors, she writes. We also know which workforces – Indigenous peoples, migrants, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, low-caste and racialized workers – and kinds of jobs – temporary, day labour, informal – are most vulnerable to forced labour.
Furthermore, where businesses at the top of supply chains are using irresponsible sourcing practices – such as sourcing goods below the actual cost of production – and where value is unevenly distributed with high concentrations of profits at the top, it is likely that further down the supply chain there will be a persistent business demand for forced labour. Where there are vulnerable workforces it is likely that there will be a supply of people persistently vulnerable to forced labour. And where the supply of vulnerable people and business demand for exploitation come together, we almost always find forced labour, LeBaron says.
In a related article for the Journal of Supply Chain Management, LeBaron writes that other prevailing narratives should also be challenged, such as the belief that forced labour is the result of individual greed, that it is easy to isolate from other kinds of labour, involves physical coercion and restraint, and that buyer-driven governance is leading to its eradication. In fact, she says, forced labour is an endemic part of contemporary supply chains and workers have become systematically vulnerable as producers and intermediaries have turned to it as a strategy to navigate supply chain pressures; it cannot be understood in isolation of broader dynamics of work and employment since low-waged workers tend to move in and out of conditions of forced labour in relatively short periods of time; and on-the-ground studies on the effectiveness of buyer-centric governance programs reveal serious gaps between corporate social responsibility standards and business practices when it comes to the indicators most relevant to forced labour.
While the dynamics at play are no longer a mystery, there is considerable research left to be done to understand forced labour’s precise manifestations in under-researched supply chains, says LeBaron. We also need to better understand how – as they facilitate international trade, transform the dynamics of migration and migrant work, and shape business models – global supply chains give rise to decent and indecent work. And we require stronger evidence to identify which forms of governance can best detect, prevent, and address indecent work and promote fair, equitable labour standards and worker rights.
Researching forced labour in supply chains is notoriously difficult and fraught with conceptual, practical, political, and methodological problems. Because forced labour is illegal, and because governments and businesses are often resistant to granting access to their workforces, data is not easy to access. But that is not a reason to adopt low evidentiary standards or to rely on poor quality or anecdotal secondary data, she writes. As several studies make clear, it is possible and highly important for both scholarly and normative reasons to collect accurate and rigorous information about the business of forced labour.
If we stopped referring to forced labour as hidden, we could enact much more effective solutions that take into account the substantial research scholars, policy agencies, journalists and international organizations have done to reveal the nature of this issue in the economy today and the ease with which it can be found, LeBaron concludes.
Here’s a round-up of other noteworthy news and initiatives:
Dr Kari Johnstone has taken up her position as the new OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. She will represent the OSCE at the political level on trafficking issues, co-ordinate the organization’s efforts to combat human trafficking in the OSCE region, and lead efforts to support OSCE participating states in strengthening their anti-trafficking strategies, operational frameworks, and actions.
As multiplying conflicts drive forced displacement worldwide, states must step up their support or risk the humanitarian system’s collapse, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) last week, as delegates stressed the need to address root causes of displacement, share responsibility for refugees, and find lasting solutions for the uprooted.
This new paper analyzes EU plans for a ban that would prohibit the placing of products made with forced labour on the common market, as well as the export of such products. It addresses concerns and provides recommendations for effective legislation following a human rights-based approach.
The Human Trafficking Legal Center has filed a legal petition with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, asking the agency to prevent from entering the country all squid tied to the Zhen Fa 7, the ship that was a focus of The Outlaw Ocean Project’s recently published report.
The 2023 update report of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) highlights how CSO and human rights defenders in Europe face threats and attacks, excessive legal and administrative restrictions, insufficient resources and access to information, and are often not properly involved in policy and decision-making. At the same time, there is increasing awareness among policymakers in the EU and member states about the situation and the need to address it.
About 500 foreigners, including nearly 200 Thai nationals, are reportedly being held by regime forces in the Myanmar town of Laukkai, in northeastern Shan State, where fighting between the junta and an ethnic alliance is escalating. The foreigners were recently rescued from online scam businesses operating in the area, however, the junta-controlled anti-human trafficking unit has sent them to military camps rather than handing them over to authorities from their respective countries, humanitarian workers say.
Plan International has called for more information on protection mechanisms and services to be made available to migrants and refugees traveling to and arriving in Mexico, particularly girls exposed to the risk of sexual violence, trafficking, extortion and forced recruitment. Upon arrival in Mexico, they frequently face difficulties accessing basic services such as health, education and employment, and lack access to fundamental international protection mechanisms to which they have a right, such as the possibility to seek asylum, says the organization.
The Freedom Fund is recruiting for a Safeguarding Manager located in London to coordinate the development of its safeguarding framework, raise awareness of its safeguarding measures, and provide training and advice to staff and partners. The closing date is 20 November, 9am GMT.
One of our members is looking for organizations working in Turkey and in Egypt, and for aftercare support for survivors of human trafficking in Malawi. Please get in touch!
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