“Efforts to clean up global supply chains so far come up short”, 22 Mar 2017

Initiatives to prevent human trafficking or ‘modern slavery’ have multiplied in recent years…[T]he ILO[‘s]…Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention (Convention 29…went into force in 2016…only 11 of the 187 ILO member states have yet to ratify it.  The United Kingdom passed the Modern Slavery Act (MSA) in 2015, just before the ILO protocol went into effect. Its provisions take inspiration from…the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act, which requires companies with annual revenues of…[over]…$100 million to disclose on their websites specific information concerning efforts to eradicate slavery and human trafficking in their direct supply chain.  While the MSA is a step forward, it suffers…limitations…initial compliance with its ‘requirements’ has not been robust. A report by UK NGOs CORE and the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre found that…required annual statements were little more than public relations exercises and that many companies did not disclose information recommended…[T]he International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)…published ‘Closing the Loopholes: How legislators can build on the UK Modern Slavery Act’…In January 2017…which identifies key limitations with the MSA…It[‘s] important…[that]…the adoption of a Modern Slavery Act…[in]…Australia…learn[s] from the UK’s example and close[s] these loopholes, as recommended in the ITUC report.