Introduction

Business has a role to play in negating the tolerance of slavery and to take active steps to help survivors of trafficking. The UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs) are the global standard for businesses to respect human rights and create an obligation upon business to implement policies and due diligence processes to identify, prevent and remedy (if possible) negative human rights impacts that they may have caused or contributed to. This includes a duty to prevent human trafficking. Legislation like the UK Modern Slavery Act requires a business to take steps to tackle and proactively report on human trafficking and modern slavery in their organisations and supply chains. Effective due diligence allows companies to identify and assess potential and actual human rights abuses in their operations and services, including their supply chains and business relationships. The EU draft Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence will require businesses within its scope to develop and implement a mandatory human rights due diligence strategy (European Parliament, 2021). It is argued that while businesses will assess risk before entering key business transactions, very few take responsibility for decent work in their supply chains (BHRRC, 2017).

COVID-19 highlighted that business practices impact on people in supply chains. It has posed unprecedented challenges for business and workers in supply chains, particularly those exposed to forced labour and modern slavery. The shutdown of countless factories during the pandemic increased unemployment rates, putting those most vulnerable at greater risk of exploitation. Perpetrators of modern slavery induce victims to rely on them for basic needs such as food and shelter, and circumstances where income generated would be confiscated (GBCAT, 2020). The chapter outlines contributing factors in the exploitation of workers including the role of the businesses, demand for cheap labour, global inequality and poverty. Business leaders representing both the survivor employment programmes – Bright Future, Holos – and the retail organisations who collaborated with them – the Co-op, Dixons Carphone and Brightwork Recruitment – were interviewed for this chapter, discussing their roles in the rehabilitation of survivors and identifying barriers in this process.

The role of business in the exploitation of victims

The journey from legitimate employment to exploitation can be linked to business in multiple ways.