5 recommendations on how to stamp out modern slavery in construction

Image generated with Dall.E.2

Conflicts such as the war in Ukraine are contributing to the problem of modern slavery within construction supply chains.

That’s according to Anti-Slavery International and La Strada International, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to stopping the trafficking of people.

Together, they have released new guidance for businesses on how to support the employment of displaced people, as well as addressing the risk of modern slavery among their workers.

There are estimated to be 17.3 million people in forced labour in the private sector, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The ILO warned that they were “much more likely to be in construction than workers in the overall labour force”.

Data from surveys into modern slavery don’t yet take account of the displacement of people from conflict zones such as Ukraine and Sudan but anecdotal evidence points towards the fact that more people are ending up victims of modern slavery as a result.

Anti-Slavery International and La Strada International said that abuses could take place in the conflict area, along their migration route, or in their destination country.

The prevalence of modern slavery within individual countries varies significantly. Walk Free’s Global Slavery Index estimates the prevalence rate (the estimated number of people in modern slavery per 1,000 population) to be as high as 21.3 in Saudi Arabia (a total of 740,000 people), and 13.4 in the United Arab Emirates (132,00).

Even in countries near the bottom of the prevalence rate list can still see as many as tens of thousands of modern slavery victims. In Germany, the prevalence rate is estimated at 0.6 (47,000 people), while in Belgium it is 1.1 (11,000 people) and Japan it is 1.1 (144,000).

Five recommendations for employers

Anti-Slavery International and La Strada International warned construction companies to be on their guard against the practice and bolster their due diligence.

And it warned that the risk of modern slavery was particularly high in countries like Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Moldova, Poland and Romania – countries receiving large numbers of people displaced by the warn in Ukraine.

It made five key recommendations for businesses to guide due diligence activities to prevent and remedy the exploitation of displaced people.

They are:

• Engage with your workers to understand their recruitment journey.
• Check that the accommodation and transportation is safe and secure.
• Provide workers with their contract before they start work and training on their rights.
• Ensure that displaced workers are able to access a meaningful grievance mechanism, with an effective remediation process.
• Share the guidance document with your teams and at least to all Tier 1 suppliers in your value chains.

Eloise Savill, private sector adviser at Anti-Slavery International told International Construction, “We know that people displaced by conflict are much more vulnerable to exploitation and modern slavery.

“And we know that the construction industry is in general a very high-risk for modern slavery, as demonstrated by the recent Global Estimates on Modern Slavery.

“Throughout our research, anecdotal evidence suggested that many people displaced from Ukraine have found employment in the construction sector.

“As a result, businesses, including those in the construction sector, need to be ever more vigilant to make sure that people are protected from exploitation. Businesses must prevent and remediate modern slavery throughout their value chains, engaging with suppliers and sub-contractors.

“By launching this guidance, we hope companies will develop meaningful due diligence processes across their value chain to prevent individuals from experiencing modern slavery and provide effective remediation if it does occur.”

Click here for the full guidance, which is available in six different languages.