Modern Slavery

With an estimated 49.6 million victims of modern slavery worldwide and an estimated 8,000 slavery victims living in Ireland, countries are moving to make businesses more accountable for abuses in their supply chains. Governments around the world are insisting on anti-slavery transparency disclosures with a steady increase in criminal and civil enforcement actions being taken. No longer can businesses relinquish their responsibilities by turning a blind eye to what’s happening in the supply chain.

The built environment is considered high risk for modern slavery and wider exploitation due to the huge demand for labour, a severe skills shortage, complex supply chains and the prevalence of indirect and self-employment. Consider your global supply chains – according to the Global Slavery Index 2023, at risks goods imported by the G20 are worth US$468 billion. Some of the big high-risk categories include electronics (US$243.6 billion), garments (US$147.9 billion) and solar panels (US$14.8 billion).

Do you understand your responsibilities under legislation such as the the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008? Do you understand the potential implications of the growing wave of global due diligence legislation on your own supply chains? Do your employees and supply chain know how to spot the signs of modern slavery? What can you do to set up your sites to combat modern slavery? What due diligence can you demonstrate? Do you understand where the risks lie in your supply chain? How do you embed best practice in combatting modern slavery in your procurement processes and contract management?