A model law
Anti-Slavery International,
European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR),
The Greens/EFA in the European Parliament
Report
2022
The publication introduces a model law with the key elements for an EU Regulation to prohibit the import and export of products made or transported with forced labour and was commissioned by Anti-Slavery International, the European Center for Constitutional Human Rights (ECCHR) and the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament.
Modern slavery is getting worse. In September 2022, the International Labour Organization, the International Organization for Migration and Walk Free Foundation released new estimates of modern slavery which found that about 10 million more men, women and children have been forced to work or marry since the last estimates were released in 2017. Overall, around 50 million people are estimated to be living in modern slavery at any given time. This is more than the population of Spain, the fourth largest EU Member State. As the world’s largest single market, the EU has an enormous opportunity to set global leadership in its design of laws and approaches to address systemic forced labour in corporate supply chains. This EU toolbox of legislation and policy must include legislation which controls the trade and retail of products made with forced labour on the EU market. Alongside other measures, including mandatory due diligence legislation, a forced labour ban will act as a powerful government enforcement tool which incentivises companies to meaningfully address forced labour in their supply chains.
