Companies Fighting Modern Day Slavery take the following steps to ensure modern slavery does not enter their organization.

Training

First, companies must make sure that their workforce understands how to recognize modern slavery. The best way to do this is to offer training on modern slavery both at the time of hire and through an annual refresher course. This should cover what types of human rights abuses are acceptable, the definition of modern-day slavery, why it’s important for employees to recognize any signs or indicators that could suggest modern-day slave labor in their area, and how each employee can help fight against modern-day slavery.

Ensure All Suppliers Have Zero Tolerance

All suppliers should have a zero-tolerance policy for forced labor, child labor, and human trafficking in their supply chains. The company should rule out any supplier that does not properly monitor or enforce this policy. Before beginning to work with a new supplier, companies should ask them to share what practices they put in place to ensure modern slavery isn’t happening in their supply chain. A caveat is that even though training can be beneficial, it can sometimes mislead employees into believing that they are vigilant when in fact, the standard procedure may only involve checking off boxes on training forms without actually implementing steps at all levels of the company to ensure these standards are upheld every day.

Identify Areas At Risk For Slavery

Companies should perform regular audits of their supply chains, specifically in countries at risk for modern slavery. By only working with suppliers that will work hard to prevent modern-day slavery in their supply chain, companies can ensure that the products they’re using are not supporting any forms of human rights abuse or slave labor.

Be Aware Of Other Areas At Risk For Modern Day Slavery

If a supplier is producing something made out of cotton, for example, it’s important to determine where the cotton was sourced from because cotton is one of the most vulnerable crops when it comes to human rights abuse and forced labor, so it must be carefully monitored throughout the entire supply chain. If a company purchases materials or ingredients made with cotton, they should make sure they are conducting audits to root out any risk of modern slavery in their supply chains.

Formulate An Anti-Slavery And Human Trafficking Policy

Last but not least, companies should write an anti-slavery and human trafficking policy that clearly states what is expected of employees when it comes to Companies Fighting Modern Day Slavery. A transparent policy can help build trust with consumers because it shows that the company is committed to having zero tolerance for forced labor or child labor within its organization. A clear policy will also give employees confidence that their voices will be heard if they notice anything suspicious happening around them at work.