Lara White, Senior Labour Migration Specialist at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNSURE.
Global supply chains involve a wide range of actors, working at multiple sites, with goods and workers crossing numerous borders and jurisdictions. Many supply chain workers are not hired locally, but are rather migrant workers who are vulnerable to a variety of labour abuses and exploitation – including human trafficking for forced labour – owing to inadequate protections, which frequently leave them in a weaker bargaining position than their local counterparts. The elimination of forced labour and modern slavery within these supply chains requires a range of approaches, with responsibilities resting on the shoulders of both governments and businesses. The question is not whether regulation should be left either to governments or corporations, but rather how we can encourage better regulation from both sides, more rigorously enforced, and based upon a common set of principles and guidelines covering operational realities at both the global and local level.
The role of governments in combating forced labour in global supply chains is clear and well-established in international law concerning human rights and labour standards. The United Nations Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights further underscore that states are obligated to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of individuals within their jurisdictions, including the duty to protect against human rights abuses by third parties such as corporations. States also have an obligation to ensure that workers have access to effective remedies through judicial, administrative, legislative or other appropriate means.
