A request from Walk Free:
Forced labour generates $150 billion in profits every year.1 That’s more than the combined profits of giant companies like Exxon Mobil, Apple, Samsung, Walmart, HSBC and Toyota.2 It’s simply heartbreaking to think that behind these mammoth illegal profits millions of people are suffering in conditions of commercial sexual exploitation, domestic slavery and forced labour in agriculture, fishing, construction, manufacturing, mining… and the list sadly goes on.
But there is hope. In just two days almost every government in the world will be at the International Labour Conference3 and updating international rules against forced labour is on the agenda. The current law4 is 84-years-old and woefully ineffective in the face of the new realities of modern slavery.
Incredibly, thousands of people across 151 countries have already made their voice heard by calling on their government to vote for a strong new international law to end forced labour.5 But we have to shout louder. If not, profits from forced labour will continue to rise while victims pay the true cost.
Act now: call on your government to vote for a strong international law against forced labour.
We don’t yet know how each country will vote, but we do know that when we work together we can achieve big things. Our movement has already won battles for tough new anti-slavery laws, and we must do it again.
With 29.8 million people trapped in modern slavery across the world6 the need for strong international protection against forced labour has never been greater.
If we win, the world will be a better place for those imprisoned by the horrors of forced labour. For the first time there will be clear, up-to-date international laws to end forced labour in the private sector, better protect victims and prevent slavery from happening at all.
Modern slavery needs a modern solution — demand updated international laws for the 21st century.
To really have a shot at winning this ambitious campaign we need every government in the world to hear from us.
Please forward this email to your friends and family, especially those that are living in different countries, so that every government in the world receives an overwhelming message to vote for strong international laws against forced labour.
Thank you,
Debra, Joanna, Mich, Jess, Mika and the Walk Free Team
P.S. Two days isn’t long but it’s not too late: please take this chance to help shape the history of our anti-slavery movement, by calling for effective international laws against forced labour.
1 http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/forced-labour/publications/WCMS_243391/lang–en/index.htm
2 http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2013/full_list/
3 http://www.ilo.org/ilc/ILCSessions/103/lang–en/index.htm
4 Forced Labour Convention 29 http://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:C029
5 http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—ed_norm/—relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_239814.pdf
6 http://www.globalslaveryindex.org/
Walk Free is a movement of people everywhere, fighting to end one of the world’s greatest evils: Modern slavery.