PARIS - While global supply chains have the potential to generate growth, employment, skill development and technological transfer, they have also been linked to human rights violations and abuses.
 
The new report “Ending child labour, forced labour and human trafficking in global supply chains”, jointly authored by the ILO, OECD, IOM and UNICEF under the aegis of Alliance 8.7, represents the first ever attempt to measure these human rights abuses and violations on a large scale. It shows the urgent need for effective action to tackle the violations of core labour rights in supply chains and outlines key areas in which governments and businesses can do more.

Speaking last week at the Paris Peace Forum, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria said, “These findings, based on an OECD methodology that has 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.”

Achieving commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end child labour, forced labour and human trafficking requires that governments, business, the financial sector and civil society take strong action to address the root causes and determinants of these human rights violations. While global supply chains have the potential to generate growth, employment, skill development and technological transfer, they have also been linked to human rights violations and abuses.

Ending child labour, forced labour and human trafficking in global supply chains presents research findings and recommendations on child labour, forced labour and human trafficking in global supply chains. Jointly authored by the ILO, OECD, IOM and UNICEF under the aegis of Alliance 8.7, the report also represents the first ever attempt to measure these human rights abuses and violations on a large scale. It is divided into two parts:

Understanding child labour, forced labour and human trafficking in global supply chains

Responding to child labour, forced labour and human trafficking in global supply chains

A preliminary version of the report was presented at the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting in Matsuyama, Japan, on 1-2 September 2019.