While the term “slavery” is usually associated with the historical atrocities in which entire communities were taken advantage of, modern-day slavery is based on similar premises, yet it is often ignored due to its major influence. This is especially critical due to the global market in which the demand for more affordable products causes supply chain actors to engage in unethical practices involving child labor, exploitative work conditions, and practices that harm vulnerable individuals. Moreover, it is important to acknowledge that supply chain slavery may take various forms, including acquiring raw materials, manufacturing goods, and the final stages, such as delivery. Since multiple processes are put in place for the raw material to be transformed into a good that can be sold, slavery may be a part of each of these processes.
Many causes influence this phenomenon, including poverty and vulnerability when it comes to the victims and the desire to acquire more affordable services for the company engaging in such behavior. Eradicating modern-day slavery is also a complex agenda since there are multiple actors involved and consumers seek low process, which is much harder to achieve if workers are paid fair wages, and raw materials are sourced ethically. On the one hand, consumer demand is high, and the market shows affordable goods to be the most desired based on current trends. On the other hand, the practices that are used to cut down on expenses create circumstances in which slavery is still a major problem despite the focus on human rights that the 21st century is based on.
Slavery is a complex problem that requires complex solutions for which companies engaging in such behavior are to be held accountable. However, since consumers have the power to invest and support the brands, financial solutions are the only plausible way of combatting such behavior. Political implementations are often challenging to install due to the differences in national characteristics of different countries, and a universal approach would not be necessarily plausible. On the other hand, consumers are the ones shaping industries with their money, and even the most prominent corporations depend on how their goods are sold. Thus, individual responsibility to support ethical brands and publicly discuss those known for exploitative behaviors at every step of the supply chain may be the only practical solution to slavery.
It is also essential to point out that the issue may also be influenced by poor supply chain management and inspections of the suppliers. Thus, a big corporation may purchase raw material from a supplier that engages in unethical behavior without being aware of it or ignoring the evidence. Thus, the more affordable prices and the less rigid regulations offered by such suppliers are appreciated and sought out on the market. However, social responsibility would let brands, organizations, and corporations know that consumers seek products made by workers who receive fair wages and materials sourced ethically. This would motivate such businesses to be diligent when it comes to choosing suppliers and inspecting the source of the raw material.
Modern-day slavery is no different from the historic term due to similarities when it comes to exploitation, abuse, and entrapment of vulnerable individuals for the benefit of another entity. This affects multiple sectors, including the construction, agriculture, textile, automobile, and food industries. While the extent of the problem and its impact is significant, the issue has not been adequately addressed, evidenced by the presence of the practice currently. Besides governments who have to protect labor rights and human rights organizations who are to monitor the situations, consumers are to make individual changes and facilitate a change through mindful purchasing of products.