"Leaving no-one behind", April 2020

Covid-19 has the potential to negatively affect everyone, but it does not affect everyone equally...

Poor people who are enslaved or vulnerable to slavery are amongst the most marginalised individuals and communities in the world. The... disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic are compounding the risks they face.

At the same time, traffickers and exploitative employers have the potential to act with impunity in a context where change is rapid and governments may be struggling...

With the effects on the global economy, the Covid-19 crisis is leading to widespread unemployment, and means that major sections of the global population are at greater risk of exploitation...

Any response to Covid-19, therefore, must be designed to specifically reach and benefit the 40 million people in slavery, in addition to the increased numbers of people now vulnerable to slavery...

Immediate measures: Support during and after Covid-19 that includes and protects people in, and vulnerable to, slavery...

Long-term measures: Build resilience and prevent an increase in slavery...

Business responsibility: ensure that buyer-supplier relationships enable the respect of workers’ rights, including that pricing covers full production costs such as the living wage and benefits to all workers. Governments must introduce mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence laws to hold companies responsible for preventing abuses within their supply chains...