Leading UK companies are starting to wake up to the fact that their existing systems for detecting worker abuse simply are not fit-for-purpose for uncovering modern slavery. But, as new initiatives emerge, the critical factor determining their success will be whether they meaningfully address the labour supply chains that feed their business.
It is these labour supply chains that make slavery-like practices seem invisible, even when the workers subjected to them are right in front of us in the farms, factories and construction sites that surround communities. The phrase ‘’hidden in plain sight’’ more aptly applies.
In an article by Andrew Crane and Genevieve LeBaron, Why Businesses fail to detect modern slavery at work (The Conversation, 11-09-2017), businesses are challenged to extend their understanding of responsible sourcing, to include consideration of the circumstances, wellbeing and working conditions of those who work to produce the goods in the first instance.
Full article at:
https://theconversation.com/why-businesses-fail-to-detect-modern-slavery-at-work-82344
Adapted by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications Person.
Product traceability? What about the worker traceability?