Slavery resources

National competent authorities under the EU Forced Labour Product Ban Regulation will have two core duties:

1. Investigating products made with forced labour within EU Member States,
2. Deciding on and enforcing product bans, with complementary obligations of cooperation with the European Commission and other EU Member States.

This note offers recommendations to designate such authorities based on criteria of effectiveness and efficiency.

The intersecting crises of modern slavery and climate change demand urgent global
attention. While these phenomena may appear distinct, they are deeply interconnected and
disproportionately affect the world’s most disadvantaged and marginalised communities. Climate
change has forced millions of people to leave their homes and relocate, putting them at higher risk
of exploitation and modern slavery. This report highlights the need for a more holistic approach to
climate action, one that explicitly recognises the linkages between climate-induced mobility and
modern slavery.

Marginalised communities, who already contend with systemic inequalities tied to gender,
ethnicity, socioeconomic status and political exclusion, face the worst impacts of climate change.
Climate-related impacts destroy livelihoods, displace families and deepen economic hardship,
driving people to move. This ‘distressed mobility’ puts people at high risk of exploitation and
modern slavery. Those who are ‘immobile’ (due to poverty, systemic barriers to migration or their
desire to stay in their homes) are similarly at risk.

This report provides a rapid assessment of current and emerging responses to the intersecting
challenges of climate change, mobility and modern slavery. Through case studies, it shares the insights
and emerging responses of civil society actors and researchers working with affected communities
from South Asia, Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific Islands and Latin America.

Researched and written by Ritwajit Das (lead author) and Devi Chakrabarti (co-author)

Key advisors: Sanjay Vashist and Ruchi Chaudhary

Research support: Gurleen Kaur, Rachna Prasad and Umanandini Gupta

This research was funded by the UK Home Office Modern Slavery Innovation Fund (Phase 3).

We would like to thank everyone who contributed to this research and provided their valuable time.

This research was commissioned by Anti-Slavery International and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). The Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP) provided technical support.

Holly-Anne Whyte provided editorial advice on a version of this document. Research and editorial support was also provided by Chiara Soletti, Cristina Patriarca and Kiara Brodie at Anti-Slavery International

Recent changes in UK law have seen stricter decision-making on modern slavery survivors’ cases, potentially making it harder for victims to access identification and support. Crucially, where survivors have been wrongly rejected, there is now a much shorter timeframe for them to ask decision-makers to look at their case again. The reconsideration deadline is now set at 30 calendar days, leaving survivors and their advocates little time to get the paperwork, evidence, or even legal help needed to request a reconsideration. Survivors may not be informed of their right to ask for a reconsideration upon receiving a negative decision either because they may not be served the decision, may not receive it in a timely manner, or may not be accessing specialist support.

This fact sheet explores recent changes to the process for deciding modern slavery cases, the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the reconsideration process, the human impact of poor decision-making, and what needs to change.

Authors

This fact sheet is written by Emily Vaughn and Maya Esslemont of After Exploitation, and Eleonora Fais on behalf of the Anti-Trafficking MonitoringGroup (ATMG).

Contributors

We are very grateful for the knowledge and frontline expertise shared by the following organisations who have contributed to this work:

ATMG members: Anti-Slavery International, Bawso, ECPAT UK, Flourish Northern Ireland, Focus onLabour Exploitation (FLEX), Helen Bamber Foundation, Hope for Justice, Just Right Scotland, Kalayaan, Scottish Refugee Council, Snowdrop Project, TARAservice and UNICEF UK.

Bindmans LLP, Causeway, City of Westminster, Duncan Lewis, Hammersmith & Fulham Council, Human Trafficking Foundation, Migrants Organise, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Southwell & Partners

A joint statement from 75 Global South organisations expressing deep concerns about reports that the EU may weaken the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) through a backdoor deal without consulting affected communities in the Global South. Organisations warn that EU will fail workers and the environment worldwide if it walks back on key corporate accountability law.

The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and Anti-Slavery International publish Understanding the EU Forced Labour Regulation: Assessment and Recommendations.  

This essential analysis explains the provisions of the final text and outlines what needs to be done for implementation. It aims to help civil society organisations and allies active in the sector to advocate for the effective implementation of the Regulation and support enforcement of the ban of forced labour goods. 

Targeted action is needed to eliminate forced labour, protect the most vulnerable groups and effectively address the root causes of forced labour. The EU Forced Labour Regulation, which entered into force on 13 December 2024, is part of a global shift towards targeted action to eliminate forced labour in global supply chains.  

Response to the Fourth Evaluation Round of the Questionnaire for the evaluation of the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings

Excerpt from Executive Summary:
Since GRETA’s third evaluation round in 2020, the United Kingdom has regrettably taken many steps back in tackling vulnerabilities to trafficking and modern slavery.

Contributors to this joint submission have identified the UK Government’s focus on immigration enforcement and securitisation as the main barrier to developing a strong prevention response and the cause of the erosion of the identification and support mechanisms for survivors of modern slavery. Independent monitoring mechanisms, such as the Home Affairs Select Committee, have expressed deep concerns in relation to the UK Government’s de-prioritisation of human trafficking in favour of a focus on irregular migration. More recently, the Lords Select Committee published their report following their inquiry into the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which found that immigration legislation has limited the support which the Act originally afforded to survivors, leaving them vulnerable and without adequate protection from their traffickers.

Submission by:
After Exploitation, Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group, Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit (ATLEU), British Red Cross (BRC), Every Child Protected Against Trafficking UK (ECPAT UK), Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX), Hestia, Hope for Justice, Human Trafficking Foundation & Lived Experience Advisory Panel, International Organization for Migration, Country office for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (IOM UK), Latin American, Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS), Taskforce on Survivors of Trafficking in Immigration Detention (Detention Taskforce), The Passage, The Salvation Army, The UK BME Anti-Slavery Network (BASNET), Unseen UK.

The European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ), in collaboration with the Clean Clothes Campaign, European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights, Frank Bold, Oxfam, CIDSE, FIDH, Anti-Slavery International, and Friends of the Earth Europe, publishes the Transposition Guide for the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). This essential guide provides key insights and recommendations for the upcoming transposition phase of this EU directive.

The Transposition Guide was developed by a coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) with the goal of supporting fellow CSOs in advocating for ambitious and effective transposition of the CSDDD across European Union Member States. The CSDDD represents a major advancement in promoting responsible business conduct within and beyond the EU, holding companies accountable for human rights and environmental harm resulting from their activities.

Following its adoption and publication in the EU’s Official Journal in June 2024, EU Member States are now in the process of integrating the Directive into national law over the next two years.

This guide outlines key priorities to address in the transposition process, including:

• Effective access to justice, including reversing the burden of proof in civil claims and ensuring practical time limitations.
• Effective and meaningful stakeholders engagement, which are the core of the chain of activities. This engagement should be done early and should be continuous.
• Broader personal scope, while removing conditions on the material scope defining human rights and aligning the environmental scope on international norms.
• Extending due diligence obligations to all relevant parts of the value chain, including the downstream activities of financial services.

This guide is a key resource for CSOs working towards an effective application of the CSDDD. 

On 25 July 2024, the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive officially came into force. The Directive requires large companies operating in the EU to conduct human rights and environmental due diligence in their value chains. 

This analysis is designed to inform civil society organisations and allies, helping them advocate for effective implementation and support workers in exercising their rights.  

Read about the Directive’s provisions, what we advocated for, the gaps that still exist, and our ongoing advocacy to ensure strong implementation and corporate accountability. 

This briefing by The Anti-trafficking Monitoring Group (ATMG) and Hope at home “Safe Homes” analyses some of the obstacles and gaps in support potential and confirmed survivors of modern slavery in asylum accommodations face when evicted because of becoming eligible to apply for social housing.

Briefing for the Universal Periodic Review Pre-Session 47 (2024).

At Qatar’s last Universal Periodic Review in 2019, it received 52 recommendations related to the protection of migrant workers, supporting 39 and noting 13. Yet Qatar demonstrated a weak record of implementing recommendations, including on existing worker protection laws on recruitment fees and wage theft. As a result, migrant workers continue to experience significant rights violations – including discrimination, forced labour conditions, and exposure to serious health risks. Combined with barriers to freedom of association, migrant workers face intimidation, threats for reporting violations, and lack remedy and access to justice. In construction, hospitality, security, and domestic and care work, workers report abusive workplace conditions, particularly related to exposure to excessive heat without proper occupational health and safety precautions. Despite Qatar’s initiatives with the ILO to streamline grievance mechanisms and strengthen labour inspections, rights violations remain largely unchecked.