A/HRC/24/43
Global Trade Union Alliance to Combat Forced Labour and Trafficking. They have agreed
to share skills and experience on combating contemporary forms of slavery and integrate
their members to reach a common goal. Under this auspice, they have formed a multistakeholder group in Europe comprised of unions and NGOs whose goal is to protect
women and young people from contemporary forms of slavery. The Brazilian NGOs
Repórter Brasil and Ethos have created the National Pact for the Elimination of Slavery,
which brings the Government, ILO, NGOs and companies together to combat forced
labour. Over 130 companies had signed the pact as of the end of 2010, including large
companies such as Wal-Mart Brazil, committing to not buying goods produced with forced
labour.
71.
There have also been successful cases in which international associations of
employers and employment agencies have established agreements with other stakeholders
in order to improve efforts to combat contemporary forms of slavery. For example, the
International Confederation of Private Employment Agencies signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with the Global Union for Skills and Services in 2008. This Memorandum
established a global partnership with other stakeholders to combat contemporary forms of
slavery, policy advocacy and cooperation with ILO to encourage ratification and
application of ILO conventions.
72.
Some countries have taken proactive efforts to form multi-stakeholder initiatives to
ensure more effective efforts to combat contemporary forms of slavery. This includes
multi-stakeholder committees responsible for combating contemporary forms of slavery,
which include members of civil society. These committees are important in holding
Governments accountable for enforcing laws on contemporary forms of slavery. In cases in
which the Government fails to carry out its commitments, it is necessary for these
stakeholders to engage the media, form alliances and mobilize public support in order to
exert pressure on the authorities.
F.
Sourcing
73.
Recently, stakeholders have made efforts to influence the sourcing decisions of
companies and national and local governments in order to reduce the level of contemporary
forms of slavery. It is now generally accepted that Governments are responsible for
preventing contemporary forms of slavery and holding companies accountable – whether a
product is produced in the country, manufactured by a company based in the country or
imported and consumed by its citizens. Additionally, civil society organizations have also
taken steps to promote responsible sourcing decisions and have provided guidance to
companies on ways to prevent contemporary forms of slavery in their supply chains.
74.
Some Governments in countries that produce goods associated with contemporary
forms of slavery have taken steps to publicize and punish individuals and companies that
produce these goods. For example, Brazil passed a decree in 2003 containing a list,
commonly referred to as “the Dirty List” of 52 individuals and entities that use or have used
slave labour. The individuals and entities on the biannually updated list are barred from
receiving national subsidies or tax exemptions and from engaging in financial arrangements
with a number of public financial institutions. The Bank of Brazil denies financing to
landowners who employ slave labour and the Ministry of National Integration
recommended that private sector lenders also deny them financing. The Ministry of
Labour’s “dirty list” included 165 employers of slave labourers in 17 states in 2009, 220
employers in 2010 and 294 employers at the end of 2011.
75.
In other cases, Governments have taken efforts to reward companies that take
positive steps to combat contemporary forms of slavery, including by offering access to
State contracts. In Argentina, the National Institute for Industrial Technology recently
established a comprehensive national certification system for companies operating in the
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