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All of the above and a lot more in protecting the world’s workers

POLICY DEBATE: Good legislation is essential, but effective enforcement and corporate investment can be just as important, argues Houtan Homayounpour from the International Labour Organisation.

By Houtan Homanyounpour
All of the above and a lot more in protecting the world’s workers
Garment workers having lunch at one factory in Phnom Penh. | ILO in Asia and the Pacific//flickr.cc(by-nc-nd)
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Houtan Homayounpour, Technical Specialist within the Special Action Program to Combat Forced Labour at the ILO, MAYBE.

I, amongst many other colleagues working in this area, wish there was a simple yes or no answer!

Could binding legislation alone rescue the estimated 21 million forced labourers and would it be sufficient for preventing others from falling into the same trap? Can we expect legislation to cover all aspects of forced labour, modern-day slavery, and global supply chains? Modern-day slavery has yet to be defined by an international instrument. Good legislation is always essential, but enforcement is just as important.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0