The Requirement for Transparency in Supply Chains
Thursday, 01 October 2015
Forced labour takes different forms, including debt bondage, trafficking and other forms of modern slavery. The victims are the most vulnerable – women and girls forced into prostitution, migrants trapped in debt bondage, and sweatshop or farm workers kept there by clearly illegal tactics and paid little or nothing.
Forced labour takes different forms, including debt bondage, trafficking and other forms of modern slavery. The victims are the most vulnerable – women and girls forced into prostitution, migrants trapped in debt bondage, and sweatshop or farm workers kept there by clearly illegal tactics and paid little or nothing.
Facts and figures
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Almost 21 million people are victims of forced labour – 11.4 million women and girls and 9.5 million men and boys.
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Almost 19 million victims are exploited by private individuals or enterprises and over 2 million by the state or rebel groups.
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Of those exploited by individuals or enterprises, 4.5 million are victims of forced sexual exploitation.
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Forced labour in the private economy generates US$ 150 billion in illegal profits per year.
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Domestic work, agriculture, construction, manufacturing and entertainment are among the sectors most concerned.
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Migrant workers and indigenous people are particularly vulnerable to forced labour.
What the data shows
Nearly 21 million people - Three out of every 1,000 people worldwide - are victims of forced labour, trapped in jobs which they were coerced or deceived into and which they cannot leave.
How widespread is forced labour in the UK?
Forced labour in the UK is a significant, though hidden, and probably growing problem. Only the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) and National Referral Mechanism (NRM) have systems to record cases of forced labour. Provisional 2012 NRM figures show over 300 cases of adults and children trafficked for labour exploitation, roughly one-third of all referrals; 45 per cent of referrals were for labour exploitation and domestic servitude. This is an increasing proportion, overtaking other forms of trafficking.