Modern slavery affects 50 million people today.
It is not a distant thing of the past. It is hidden, brutal, and closer than most people think — embedded in the products we buy, the industries we work in, and the digital platforms we use every day. Together we can make a difference.
People in modern slavery on any given day — forced labour and forced marriage combined (ILO, 2022)
Generated annually, making it one of the world’s most profitable criminal enterprises (ILO, 2024)
Of forced labour occurs in private-sector supply chains — the businesses and brands we interact with daily
SOURCE — INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION, 2022 & 2024
IJM is committed to protecting the dignity, privacy and safety of vulnerable people. Images may be changed or represented by actors to protect identities. All stories and images are used with informed consent and safeguarding practices.
Millions make the things we use — in forced labour.
Millions of people who make the clothes we wear, the electronics we use, and the food we eat are in some form of forced labour. It runs deepest in garment manufacturing, construction, resource and energy (including renewables), technology, agriculture and fishing.
Frequently, it remains invisible to the companies whose supply chains depend on it, due to opaque, multi-tiered supply chains.
The practices
- Debt bondage
- Threats of dismissal
- Withholding payment
- Confinement and isolation
- Physical or sexual violence
- Slavery-like practices
- State-imposed forced labour
- Document retention
- Blackmail and deception
The sectors
- Garment manufacturing
- Construction
- Resource & energy (incl. renewables)
- Technology
- Agriculture
- Fishing
US$468 billion of imports by G20 countries are goods at risk of modern slavery.
These are the top five products at risk of modern slavery imported into G20 countries each year.
Electronics
Garments
Palm Oil
Solar Panels
PLUS TEXTILES — US$12.7BN · SOURCE: G20 AT-RISK IMPORTS
It reaches further than goods.
Exploitation extends into digital fraud, sexual exploitation, the service sector and the financial flows that launder its profits.
01 / Scam centres
Scam centres
An estimated 300,000+ people are trafficked, recruited online with false job offers. Passports are taken and victims are cut off from outside communication, forced to work 12–19 hours a day, seven days a week, to commit financial fraud. It is a “dual-victim” industry — enslaved workers enduring horrific abuse, and internet users worldwide being defrauded.
300,000+ trafficked02 / Sexual exploitation
Sexual exploitation
On any day, around 6.3 million people are in forced commercial sexual exploitation — 23% of those in modern slavery, yet an estimated 73% of all illegal profits. Online exploitation of children has ballooned into a multi-billion-dollar marketplace; an IJM study estimated nearly half a million Filipino children were victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse in 2022.
6.3M · 23% of victims, 73% of profits03 / Service & finance
Service sector
Forced labour is common in service sectors that rely on outsourced and third-party labour hire — hospitality, food services, cleaning, facility management and domestic work. The financial services industry is deeply embedded too, lending to high-risk sectors without due diligence and laundering profits — US$236 billion generated in illegal profits every year.
$236B laundered annuallyVulnerability, crisis and a gap in enforcement.
It is those already in situations of greatest vulnerability who are most affected — people living in poverty and socially excluded, workers in the informal economy, irregular or otherwise unprotected migrant workers, and people subject to discrimination.
Compounding crises increase vulnerability: widespread outbreaks of disease, armed conflict, climate change and environmental disasters disrupt employment and education, leading to extreme poverty and forced migration that heighten the risk of all forms of modern slavery.
The gap is not the absence of laws — almost every country has them. It is the lack of enforcement and the invisibility of exploitation in complex supply chains. A key driver is the push to reduce costs, increase profitability and meet consumer demand. That means we all have a role to play. Change requires both systemic pressure and direct intervention.
Four cases around the world.
These cases show how modern slavery takes hold across very different industries and legal systems.
01 / China
Cotton industry
State-imposed forced labour of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in China’s Xinjiang region taints an estimated 20% of the world’s total cotton supply. Over 500,000 Uyghur individuals have been coerced into seasonal cotton-picking through a state-run system of political indoctrination, mass detention and surveillance.
Xinjiang · ~20% of world cotton02 / India
Sumangali scheme
An exploitative practice in South India’s textile industry. Factories recruit young girls and women (14–21) from marginalised communities, promising a lump sum (approx. US$300–600) for a 3–5 year contract toward future wedding costs. Girls live in guarded company hostels, endure 12–14-hour days, and fewer than 35% ever receive the promised payment.
Textile & garment industry03 / West Asia
Kafala system
The Kafala system legally binds a migrant worker’s residency and employment to a local employer across West Asia — Jordan, Lebanon and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Employers routinely confiscate passports; leaving an abusive employer is treated as “absconding”, risking arrest and deportation. Workers face wage theft, extreme conditions and physical and sexual violence.
Migrant labour · debt bondage04 / Australia
Farm work
Modern slavery occurs in Australian agriculture, affecting temporary migrant workers, working holiday makers and labour-mobility participants. Schemes like the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme have tied workers to a single employer. Rogue recruiters use deceptive tactics; workers experience wage theft, unliveable accommodation, coercion and cases of extreme servitude.
PALM scheme · agricultureSmall, regular actions add up.
Don’t underestimate the impact you can have through small, regular actions and positive choices — particularly as more of us do it. Individuals can use their purchasing power, donate, and help push for better standards.
01 / Give
Donate
Donating to evidence-based frontline and survivor-led organisations is the single highest-impact action an individual can take. It directly funds rescue, survivor care, and justice system reform.
Highest-impact action02 / Choose
Ethical purchasing
Use buying guides and ethical sourcing tools to choose brands with genuine supply chain transparency. Ask questions about where products are made. Leave reviews. Post on social media.
Tools listed below03 / Advocate
Advocate
Advocate for the enforcement of existing laws — as simple as adding your name to a petition. As an investor, demand more than minimum transparency. As an employee, check if your employer has a modern slavery statement and how they minimise risk across their business.
Add your nameEvery donation, conversation, and purchasing decision helps build a world where exploitation is a thing of the past. What is one thing you will do today to make a difference?
Go beyond the one-off statement.
No business should benefit from forced labour, debt bondage, or exploitation hidden in its supply chain. Organisations can reduce risk by mapping supply chains, engaging workers and suppliers, and linking due diligence to real remediation. The strongest actions are ongoing systems to identify risk, listen to workers, fix problems and prevent repeat harm — and the benefits far exceed risk minimisation.
“Companies that recognise the commercial opportunity and take a proactive and strategic approach can achieve benefits too. They may profit by offering low-risk, transparent supply chains or certified ethical products to meet customer demands.”
Mathew Nelson, EY
- Strategic. Supply chain understanding reduces risk, protects operations and strengthens trust — protecting both businesses and those at risk.
- Values. Addressing modern slavery aligns with purpose and culture; employees increasingly expect employers to consider their human rights impact.
- Reputation. Knowing where risks sit means preventing abuse, responding early, and avoiding reputational and shareholder fallout.
- Investors. Investors and lenders increasingly weigh human rights performance amid strengthened sustainability reporting standards.
- Compliance. Once-voluntary legislation is becoming hard law; non-compliant supply chains face fines and loss of market access.
- Supply chain mapping. Map suppliers and materials beyond Tier 1 — a small Tier 1 list becomes exponential by Tier 3, and that’s where forced labour hides.
- Strengthen grievance pathways. Ensure mechanisms are accessible, maintained and publicised, with clear steps, timeframes and communication.
- Genuine due diligence. Assess risks, audit suppliers and use procurement power to reward strong human rights practices; partnerships can drive systemic change.
- Train staff to identify exploitation. Procurement, HR, travel, hospitality and facilities teams regularly encounter exploitation — training significantly changes detection rates.
- Walk Free — a free benchmarking tool that tests the claim “all our supply chains are slavery-free.”
- Ethixbase360 — manages third-party risk across global value chains, helping organisations drive ethical practices, respect human rights and navigate complex regulatory demands.
- Fair Supply — see where your risk truly lies, focus due diligence where it matters most, and meet reporting obligations with confidence.
- Consultancies like EY, or law firms such as Norton Rose Fulbright, can provide bespoke advice and tools to support organisations in identifying and managing modern slavery risk in their supply chains.
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