THE UK Government have been warned that a proposed ban on forced labour risks driving a rise in child labour.
It comes after trade minister Chris Bryant said last week that he would be “absolutely amazed and demoralised” if the UK failed to implement some form of forced labour ban in UK supply chains within the next three years.
The Modern Slavery Act 2015 is the current main legislation regarding the issue, which mandates that large commercial firms publish an annual statement outlining the actions they have taken to prevent human trafficking and modern slavery in their supply chains.
The Procurement Act 2023 also excludes some forced labour products from government procurement.
But campaigners have hit out at the lack of current safeguards, with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) also coming to the same conclusion in a recent report.
But speaking before the Business and Trade Committee at the House of Commons, Bryant said the UK Government needs to go further, including mandatory due diligence requirements for company directors – who could also face civil liability if they fail to ensure their supply chains are free from forced labour.
Reacting to this commitment, Fernando Morales-de la Cruz – a prominent Guatemalan human rights activist and journalist – has warned that while the UK Government's push to go further than the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 and ban forced labour outright is welcome, the rhetoric so far — including from Bryant — hasn't appeared to mention child labour too.
He told The National that only banning forced Labour, without tackling child labour at the same time, risks driving exploitation into even younger workforces rather than eliminating it – adding that any forced Labour ban must happen in tandem with a child labour ban too.
“If we want to ban forced labour, I’m very happy about this, but it has to be with child labour being banned at the same time, because otherwise the effect is terrible for tens of millions of children,” Morales-de la Cruz said.
“When you think about tea, coffee, cocoa or sugar – any of the commodities that are based on the massive use of poor workers. If you eliminate forced labour, who is going to do the same job? Children. And so, if you want to eliminate forced labour, you have to eliminate child labour at the same time.”
He added: “Because otherwise what you're doing is telling them: just prove to me that there are not any people involved, adults or children, in forced labour. So, if the children arrive at the plantation with their mums, oh, this is not forced labour. “Sorry, no, we have to agree that human rights are human rights and that includes children.”
A spokesperson at the Department for Business and Trade said: “We launched the Responsible Business Conduct review to root out human rights abuses, including child labour, and eradicate exploitative environmental practices, bribery and corruption.
“We will set out the findings of this review once the Government has considered its results.”
