2 min read
Modern slavery
Last updated June 2024
This chapter explains modern slavery and what your organisation should do to comply with the Modern Slavery Act 2018.
What is modern slavery?
Definition: Modern Slavery
Modern slavery is the condition of being forced by threats or violence to work for little or no pay, and having no power to control what work you do or where you do it.
Modern slavery is the condition of being forced by threats or violence to work for little or no pay, and having no power to control what work you do or where you do it.
Modern slavery includes:
- servitude;
- child labour;
- forced labour;
- human trafficking; and
- deceptive recruiting for labour or services.
The Commonwealth Government, as well as some state and territory jurisdictions, have implemented laws to combat modern slavery. These laws require organisations in Australia to verify that their supply chain does not involve the use of slave labour.
Important: In 2021, the International Labour Organization estimated that 28 million people worldwide were being exploited through forced labour – a rise of 10 million from 2016 estimates. More than half of those were in the Asia-Pacific region.