FEWER than 1 / 4 of UK corporations have detected forced labour of their supply chains, it was announced on Wednesday.
The pilot Global Modern Slavery Benchmark, published by the investment company CCLA, which is owned by church, charity, and local-authority investment funds, assesses corporate performance against statutory requirements, government guidance, and human-rights standards. The report has appeared as Britain marks the tenth anniversary of the UK Modern Slavery Act.
It found that, of the 100 largest global corporations providing goods and services to the UK, only 23 disclosed finding a case of recent slavery; and only one could confirm that survivors were satisfied with actions taken by the corporate in redress.
The financial and energy sectors scored the bottom, and the patron staples and material sectors the very best. Cisco Systems, Costco, and Nestlé were the best-performing corporations. Four firms scored lower than 12 out of a maximum of 62 points. UK corporations scored a mean of 36, against global corporations on 32.
Around 28 million persons are believed to be working in conditions of forced labour worldwide. It is reported to have generated $US236 billion in illegal profits for the private sector over the past decade.
The CEO of CCLA, Peter Hugh Smith, said: “Modern slavery is endemic, but corporations can play a significant role in changing victims’ lives for the higher. The true measure of an organization will not be whether there may be forced labour inside their supply chains, but how robustly they give the impression of being for it, and what they do after they find it.”
The Benchmark report seeks to empower faith institutions and their investment teams to banish modern slavery.
