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February 20, 2008
Overview
To be successful, business needs to manage risk. These risks are not static. New ones can emerge at any time through the actions of companies themselves, their suppliers or other social actors. In companies, ranging from clothing to food processing; from steel to electronics, reputational and business damage is arising from allegations relating to forced labor, human trafficking and child labor.
The issue of forced labor is hardly new. It is the subject of widely ratified core Conventions of the International Labour Organization and is one of the principles of the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. Many company, sectoral and global codes of conduct, including the UN Global Compact, as well as International Framework Agreements and supplier contracts, reference forced labor. But until recently, relatively little sustained business attention has been given to addressing it.
With growing investment in and sourcing from developing country markets, business risk from forced and prison labor is increasing. Civil society and human rights groups, in particular, are now paying it more attention, often within the wider debate on human trafficking and child labor.
Forced labor is therefore, a significant risk, requiring immediate business attention. Yet, this issue is often misunderstood or minimized. What forms does it take? How can it be identified? How should it be addressed? The answers are not readily available.
This one-day meeting will explore these questions, including a focus on experiences of companies that, independently or in coalition with others, are actively engaged in eliminating forced labor within their spheres of business. The goal of the meeting is to draw on the experience and knowledge of participants in helping to formulate a practical program for employers that can be used to identify forced labor, to provide means for its elimination and to give guidance on its remediation.
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