Russia, Slovakia, India and Pakistan, are all ‘severe risk’ source countries of ‘modern day slaves’ to the UK. That’s according to the BSI’s Trafficking & Supply Chain Slavery Patterns Index. Of the G7 nations, Italy is identified as a ‘high risk’ nation – partly due to the conflict in Syria. Greece and Turkey are also ranked as ‘high risk’ countries.
The standards body based in west London calls its index a new way for businesses and organizations to assess and avoid the risks posed by slavery and trafficking. It cross-references source countries of displaced people, and their likelihood of being exploited in destination countries.
The Index’s lead developer, Michiko Shima, BSI, said: “The Index is unique in that it looks at the intersection and relationship between source countries of displaced people, and the likelihood of being exploited upon arrival in destination countries. Other methods are one dimensional – looking only at source or destination countries.”
The risks to global supply chains include human rights abuses, security threats and business continuity risks.
In the UK, the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA) was a response to modern slavery and human trafficking. British Standards (BSI) points to several high-profile court cases that highlighted the irresponsible practices that are occurring in full view across Britain.
BSI says that its Trafficking & Supply Chain Slavery Patterns Index covers the movement and exploitation of people between 191 source countries and 193 destination countries. Each combination of countries has been ranked from low to severe based on the risk score.
The inputs include BSI’s proprietary SCREEN Forced Labor Intelligence with independent trafficking and exploitation data, economic disparity, and countries’ geographical proximity information.
Chris McCann, Principal Consultant, Supply Chain Services and Solutions at BSI, said: “The Index, along with BSI’s risk management services and solutions, empowers organizations to focus their efforts on identifying and assessing ‘at-risk’ suppliers and to manage the risks proactively. In doing so, progressive organizations will lessen their exposure to operational disruption, reputational damage, financial – including share price volatility – and potential legal consequences.”
For more about the BSI index, visit: http://bsi-supplychainsolutions.com/en-US/solutions-services/corporate-social-responsibility/trafficking-slavery-patterns-index/.
