Delegates from Pakistan are scheduled to attend an international key conference, titled “Tackling Modern Slavery, Forced Labour and Human Trafficking in Public Sector Supply Chain” in London from 27 March onwards.
The Conference is co-hosted by the Ethical Trading Initiative, the UK government and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), in partnership with the governments of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.
It follows the launch of the “Principles to Guide Government Action to Combat Human Trafficking in Global Supply Chains,” jointly developed by all five governments, at the UN General Assembly in September 2018. The moot will be the first in a series of events planned by the five governments to galvanise action from governments, public bodies, civil society and businesses to accelerate the progress towards meeting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8.7, intended to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking.
The conference will detail over combating modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking in public procurement with a substantial focus on high-risk sectors, including construction (for infrastructure and housing), healthcare products and services, electronics and general manufacturing.
Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) Executive Director, Karamat Ali, is also attending the conference and would present his point of view regarding the bonded labour situation in Pakistan. He will also talk about the international efforts needed to understand the root causes and drivers of exploitation as well as abuse of adults and children in the surgical instruments sector in Pakistan. Further, he would also brief on how to address these challenges through a multi-stakeholder engagement, involving all key players in Pakistan as well as European buyers and suppliers (top-down & bottom-up).
