Slavery in Global Supply Chains

The 8.7 Alliance is a global partnership committed to achieving target 8.7 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Members of the Alliance have released new estimates of child labour, forced labour and human trafficking in global supply chains. The report, Ending child labour, forced labour and human trafficking in global supply chains, 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 highest level of child labour (26%) occurs in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia.

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.”

Download a copy of the report here.