Calling time on human trafficking

Coinciding with World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July, IOSH urges businesses to ensure they are doing all they can to prevent human rights violations both within their organisations and in their supply chains.

The latest global estimates suggest nearly 50 million people were living in modern slavery in 2022. This includes those impacted by human trafficking, forced labour and forced marriage.

Improving and enforcing laws

With around a quarter of modern slavery victims being children, tackling this is the theme for World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

IOSH believes there is a need global, national and sectorial strategies and action to tackle and eradicate forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and child labour while also ensuring the provision of a safe and healthy working environment.

It requires global efforts for implementing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, improvements in laws, enforcing laws and having more robust due diligence processes with transparency, and awareness raising in place to combat modern slavery and other human rights violations in business and supply chains.

Ruth Wilkinson, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at IOSH, said: “Legislative developments such as the Australian Modern Slavery Act in 2018 and the introduction of the Modern Slavery Act in 2015 in the UK have been steps in the right direction, but we are now seeing signs of stagnation and millions of people still being impacted by the worst forms of labour exploitation.

"We must remember also that these workers will be exposed to poor working conditions and practices and health and safety dangers."

“Renewed efforts, action and transparency need to continue over the long term if sustainable results are to be achieved in order to avoid these frameworks being considered a mere ‘tick-box’ requirement to modern slavery.”