http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/entry/bcat
About the Author: Ambassador Luis CdeBaca leads the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.
In our commitment to preventing human trafficking, the world is moving
beyond poster campaigns to more innovative solutions that harness the
private sector to end the demand for modern slavery. I wanted to share
some new developments on that front.
On October 1, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the
California Transparency in Supply Chains Act
(the Act) into law. The Act requires certain major companies to
publicly post their efforts to eradicate trafficking and slavery in
their direct supply chains. By acknowledging both the prevalence of
modern slavery in consumer goods and the interest of the state in
enabling consumers to make educated choices, Senator Darrell Steinberg
crafted a piece of legislation that has the potential to fundamentally
change how corporations engage on this issue.
In the past, forward leaning companies hid their best practices out of
fear of being a brand associated with modern slavery, while
irresponsible companies excused their inaction by pointing to
impossibilities that simply aren't. Modern day slavery exists in the
shadows, but corporate policy should not.
Together, civil society, local government, and federal government must
ensure that the information is acted upon AND leveraged, making today's
best practices tomorrow's industry standards, and building opportunities
that move us closer to comprehensively addressing trafficking in
persons throughout our supply chains.
That's why I'm heartened to see companies like LexisNexis lead before
they are asked by pulling together businesses who have always led on
this issue and those who stand to break new ground within their
industries. In its inaugural meeting yesterday, the
Business Coalition Against Human Trafficking (BCAT)
began to explore how business can engage in real ways to combat both
sex and labor trafficking and establish business protocols that build
upon rather than undercut rule of law.
I look forward to watching these efforts unfold and wish them great success.
The Free the Captives blog is a compilation of news articles and posts from varying anti-human trafficking blogs and media. Subscribe to this blog through the RSS reader below as a way to stay updated and learn more about human trafficking.
