CORRUPTION

International Affairs Forum Fall 2016
business sector, it can result in an entire industry
receiving a bad name. This trend is emerging
in the electronics, garment, chocolate, and
seafood sectors. Fourth, this topic is becoming a
growing public concern (similar to environmental
issues), with more and more consumers asking
questions about whether the products they buy
are “slave free.” Fifth, with new legislation out of
North America and Europe, it will be expected
that most declarations of Corporate Social
Responsibility address this topic. Finally, and
most importantly, slave-like conditions have
been and will always be incompatible with good
business.
How can the private sector itself improve on
approaches to fighting human trafficking?
Can the private sector provide a unique
perspective in this area?
Yes, companies can play an important role in
addressing the problem. First, they can look at
their business to determine if there are any risk
factors. Based on this risk, companies can take
specific measures to maintain a slave-free supply
chain, including these:
- Conducting investigative audits that illuminate
the real conditions faced by workers
throughout the continuum of the supply
chain and describe them in qualitative and
quantitative degrees to top-level corporate
decision makers;
• Conducting migrant worker assessments
focused on conditions at workplaces that
employ foreign contract or migrant labor, with
a goal of detecting potential risks for trafficking
and forced labor;
• Conducting action-oriented training for staff
in global corporations and their suppliers
with the goal of expanding awareness and
helping reduce the negative impacts of global
sourcing;
• Consulting at the points of maximum leverage
on how to implement effective human rights
protections within global businesses; and
• Facilitating multistakeholder initiatives that join
private sector business, workers, labor, civil
society, and governments to focus on both
strategic and practical levels with the goal of
achieving positive social change.
What are more effective alternatives to
naming and shaming private companies
involved in human trafficking?
While there may always be a need for naming
and shaming when excessive labor violations
are uncovered that are highly criminal in nature,
or where companies repeatedly fail to address
problems, there are also other options. A more
successful approach might include engagement
with the private sector in a positive and
supportive manner. For example, if slavery-like
conditions are identified, the first step could be
for concerned organizations to work with the
company to help them to correct the problem
without it going public. This would change the
approach from being confrontational to collegial.
Over the past three years, I have met with
countless private sector managers and directors
from many major companies who really do care
about ensuring that slavery and exploitation
are not found within their value chain. They
share the same world that we do and worry
about the future for their own offspring. They
also understand that an increased attention to
the plight of workers in their companies’ supply
chains means that addressing these problems is
both a business and moral imperative.
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