The Responsible Sourcing Tool is a new website created to help federal contractors and other companies, procurement officials, advocates, and consumers understand the risks of human trafficking in supply chains and the mechanisms to implement effective management systems to detect, prevent, and combat trafficking. The content was developed by Verité with the support and collaboration of the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons in conjunction with other State Department and U.S. Government agency experts.
The Thai seafood sector remains in the crosshairs of consumer, media, regulatory, NGO and brand attention. On the pressure side, the European Union has issued Thailand a yellow card or threat of a trade ban if it doesn’t crack down on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The US State and Labor departments have released reports harshly critical of labor abuses, including labor trafficking risks. The Guardian, Associated Press and New York Times, among others, have published a devastating series of stories describing modern day slavery among Burmese and Cambodian migrants sold to or held by Thai fishing boat captains. Consumers have filed lawsuits against Mars, Procter & Gamble, Nestlé SA and Costco Wholesale for selling slavery-tainted seafood products (farmed shrimp and pet food).
