06. Freedom of Movement
How does this Building Block manifest in the workplace and supply chain?
This building block relates to modern slavery, which is defined as ‘when an individual is exploited by others, for personal or commercial gain’. Whether tricked, coerced or forced, they lose their freedom. This is includes but is not limited to human trafficking, forced labour and debt bondage. Of the 27.6 million people trapped in forced labour according to Anti-Slavery International, 17.3 million are in forced labour exploitation in the private economy, 6.3 million are in commercial sexual exploitation, and nearly 4 million are in forced labour imposed by state authorities.71% of overall victims of modern slavery are women and girls. It is well publicised that women face additional risks in slavery situations, from sexual violence from their traffickers, having to bear children from rape, to extreme isolation for migrant women working as domestic workers in private homes.
How could your organization promote freedom of movement?
When working with temporary workers, only use specified reputable employment agencies to source labour.
If modern slavery is a salient risk in your organization’s supply chain, make sure scoping for the risk of modern slavery is part of the due diligence process
Train and build the capacity of staff to recognize and address modern slavery
Review HR and procurement systems and ensure they are aligned with forced labour and other human rights standards
Ensure that your employees and your suppliers´ employees have free access to their personal documentation and identity proofs
What questions could you best ask within your organization and supply chain to promote freedom of movement?
- Are all employees and suppliers familiar with the risk of modern slavery?
- Is modern slavery being investigated as a salient risk within the human rights due diligence process?
- What policies and procedures are in place to prevent modern slavery?
- Does the company collect gender-disaggregated data on modern slavery?