A new report indicates that a significant share of child labour and human
trafficking in global supply chains occurs at their lower tiers, in activities
such as raw material extraction and agriculture, making due diligence,
visibility and traceability challenging.
The report, Ending child labour,
forced labour and human trafficking in global supply chains , provides the first ever estimates of child labour and human trafficking
in global supply chains.
Amongst those in child labour, the percentage in global supply chains varies
across regions:
- 26 per cent in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia.
- 22 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- 12 per cent in Central and Southern Asia.
- 12 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa.
- 9 per cent in northern Africa and Western Asia.
“The goods and services we buy are composed of
inputs from many countries around the world and are processed, assembled,
packaged, transported and consumed across borders and markets,” said ILO
Director-General Guy Ryder. “This report shows the urgent need for effective
action to tackle the violations of core labour rights that are occurring in
supply chains.”
The report outlines several key areas in which governments and businesses can
do more.
It underscores the critical role of states in addressing gaps in statutory
legislation, enforcement, and access to justice (which create space for
non-compliance) and in establishing a framework for responsible business
conduct. It also examines how governments can lead by example by integrating
due diligence considerations into their own activities as procurers of goods
and services, owners of enterprises and providers of credit and loans.
Speaking at the Paris Peace Forum, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria said,
“These findings, based on an OECD methodology that’s been applied in various
economic and environmental contexts, underscore the need for governments to
scale up and strengthen efforts to ensure that businesses respect human rights
in their operations and across supply chains. Creating an enabling environment
for responsible business conduct due diligence must be a key action for
governments.”
The report also outlines a broader preventive approach focused on root causes,
including child and family deprivation, particularly in the upstream and outsourced
segments of global supply chains operating in the informal economy, where risks
are greatest.
“These results make clear that efforts against human trafficking in global
supply chains will be inadequate if they do not extend beyond immediate suppliers
to include actors upstream engaged in activities such as raw material
extraction and agriculture, and serving as inputs to other industries,” said
IOM Director General Antonio Vitorino.
For business, the report underscores the need for a comprehensive,
whole-of-supply-chain approach to due diligence.
Due diligence is unique in that it both builds on and adjusts existing business
practices while also introducing processes that are still relatively new in the
supply chain context, such as processes to provide for remedy along the supply
chain. Importantly, effective due diligence for child labour, forced labour and
human trafficking is preventative, commensurate with and prioritized in
accordance with the severity and likelihood of harm, and forms an integral part
of an enterprise’s risk management and decision-making.
The estimates were generated by combining data on the estimated total number of
children in child labour with data on trade flows and value chains within
countries and across borders. The same exercise was carried out for human
trafficking.
Child labour can have lifelong negative consequences on children’s physical,
mental and social development, robbing them of a chance to play and learn,”
said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “We need to address the root
causes that push children to work, like poverty and violence. We also need
concrete solutions to ensure that families have alternative income sources and
children have access to quality education and protective services.”
The report was compiled in response to a call by the Group of Twenty (G20)
Labour and Employment Ministers to assess violations of core labour rights in
global supply chains. It offers a unique interagency perspective on the causes
of these human rights violations and on the priorities for governments,
businesses and social partners in addressing them. The report was produced by
the International Labour Organization
(ILO) , Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) , International Organization for Migration (IOM) , and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) .