Preventing forced labour is not easy and takes more than one step. It is a series of consecutive steps taken efficiently with a humanistic approach that can lead to its prevention. Some of these effective steps might include the following:
1. Awareness
Knowledge is the primary tool to fight against any form of exploitation. If people do not know how to define what others are going through, there is hardly anything that can be done. Raising awareness against forced labour is one of the best ways to help employees identify it, report it and allow victims and other people at risk to seek help. This can be done using modern slavery awareness training programs for all your employees. They can be helped to identify and report any such incidents.
2. Reporting
Spreading awareness helps employees know how to identify and report cases of forced labour or any form of exploitation. Understanding what the reporting processes are and which authorities to contact is necessary to preventing it. Through proper training, people can be made to understand the importance of reporting such cases and the resolution processes.
3. Collaboration
Forced labour may or may not be an isolated event depending on the industry it occurs in. For example, domestic workers and miners may be treated differently. Sometimes it can be a group of people who are involved in exploiting and forcing their victims into labour in industry. Therefore, dealing with these cases will require more than an individual organisation. It is time organisations acted together along with their suppliers and contractors to ensure no one is at risk in their operations or supply chains.
4. Support
The availability of resources to fight against forced labour is an important factor. Also, those who raise their voices must be provided with appropriate protection. Designing and implementing victim support during and after the resolution of an incident can go a long way in ensuring its prevention.
5. Compliance
Many laws and regulations require organisations to take necessary steps to ensure they are not involved in modern slavery. For example, certain businesses and entities in Australia are required to submit annual reports on the risks of modern slavery they face and the steps they took to mitigate them. Compliance with these laws and regulations can reduce the risk of such incidents in and around organisations.
