Modern slavery training courses for professionals aim to educate employees on the critical issue of slavery and how slavery can slip into any business’s supply chain if adequate checks aren’t done. In many organizations, modern slavery training courses for professionals are a requirement for all companies.
What is Modern Slavery?
Modern slavery is defined as: “The practice of holding people in servitude to exploit them economically without providing them with the protection of labor and employment rights that you would expect as a reasonable person. Large companies often supply goods and services throughout their supply chain, which can make it difficult for individuals within those organizations to spot where there might be any potential signs of slavery. This makes it even more important that these large businesses put cultural and ethical awareness training in place to educate employees across all business areas on the issue of identifying and responding to modern slavery.
The following elements characterize slavery:
- Abusive practices including violence, threats, deception, and coercion
- Lack of freedom of movement within victim’s place of work or through their community
- Exploitation for economic gain
- Isolated from external assistance, e.g., friends, family, or authorities
- Modern-day slavery is very likely to carry on undetected because victims are unlikely to come forward due to fear of reprisals or deportation/imprisonment.
It’s difficult for organizations to spot where there might be any potential signs of slavery amongst their business activities if they don’t have an ethical training program in place. Modern slavery training courses for professionals are designed to give businesses the knowledge and skills they need to spot slavery in their supply chain, minimize its risk and increase the likelihood of business leaders reporting potential incidents. This ensures that these organizations do not put consumers at risk by buying goods or services produced using modern slavery.
Businesses who fail to correctly identify and respond to modern slavery in their supply chains could face the following:
- Reputational risk: consumers may lose trust and confidence in a company’s ethical credentials and begin boycotting or disengaging with its products and services. Business leaders should take steps to ensure consumers are clear on their business’ stance against slavery. This can be done by making it visible within the organization, e.g., providing information about how problems associated with slavery will be addressed within your business or giving access to such processes as grievance reporting hotlines where employees can report concerns anonymously wish.
- Financial Risk: organizations that don’t have ethical training in place may find themselves financially exposed due to fines or imprisonment of employees leading to further costs for businesses.
- Suspension or loss of accreditation: suppliers who are suspended or lose their accreditation can also face sanctions from governments, foundations, and/or certification bodies which can affect the organization’s ability to trade with other companies.
