Hong Kong lags behind in the battle against modern-day slavery
Lowell Chow says supply chains are feeding the scourge, and the law, governments and communities must all be on guard to help the 45 million victims of forced labour worldwide
As some experts point out, the issue is not child labour alone. The employers confiscate the children’s identity papers and do not pay wages until the end of the year, so as to prevent them from walking away from the job. This constitutes bonded labour, one of the many forms of forced labour.
Yet, a new benchmark by KnowTheChain found that, in the global garments industry, action to tackle the scourge is lacking.
Finance, wealth and ... slavery? Hong Kong one of Asia’s worst for forced labour
The benchmark did identify leading practices from some brands. Highest-scorer Adidas (81/100), for example, has strong processes in place to enable workers to organise and safely lodge grievances. It also takes steps to prevent exploitation during the recruitment process by favouring direct, permanent employment and establishing the requirements for recruitment agencies when they are used.