ASTRA was one of the co-organizers of this year’s Regional Freedom from Slavery Forum, held in Brussels from May 5 to 7, alongside Anti-Slavery International, La Strada International, and Free the Slaves, with the support of the governments of the United Kingdom, Belgium, and France.
The director of ASTRA, Marija Andjelkovic, opened the second day of the forum, after which a review of the Sustainable Development Goals followed, with a special focus on Target 8.7, which calls on countries to eliminate forced labor, human trafficking, modern slavery, and the worst forms of child labor by 2030. This target is part of the broader United Nations 2030 Agenda, promoting decent work and sustainable development for all.
The forum continued with three panels. The first panel addressed the complex fight against child labor in the textile supply chain, the second focused on strategies to sustain funding for combating forced labor, and the third tackled the myths surrounding mandatory human rights due diligence by companies.
Marija Andjelkovic reminded the participants that laws and court rulings are not enough if justice for the victims is not ensured. She illustrated this with the example of the SerBaz case, one of the largest human trafficking cases for labor exploitation, in which around 700 workers from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia were brutally exploited in Azerbaijan between 2007 and 2009. To this day, they have not received the compensation they deserve.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Tomoya Obokata, emphasized that the fight against slavery must involve civil society organizations, businesses, and frontline service providers as the perspective of the victims.
“Governments should engage with businesses about conditions and ensure a safe environment for the work of NGOs. Stronger due diligence is needed. If businesses effectively implement due diligence, their credibility will increase. The gap between law and the implementation of rights leads to exploitation,” said Tomoya Obokata.
The panel on the challenges of sustainable financing for combating forced and child labor pointed out the need for greater transparency and stronger coordination within the sector. Participants proposed the establishment of a joint body that would lobby on behalf of organizations combating human trafficking and exploitation, as well as the creation of a joint fund to gather resources from various sources, including fines, asset seizures, and contributions from the private sector.
The need for cost rationalization through joint procurement and the reduction of operational costs was also emphasized, as well as the expansion of the donor base by involving countries like Japan and South Korea. The panel stressed that funds should be directed toward the protection of people, not just border control.
Panelists highlighted the causes of child labor, including poverty, lack of education, and weak regulation in the fashion industry.
“The factor attracting child labor in textiles is the modeling job. It’s all about money, not individuals. If we add 50 cents to jeans, we can pay daily wages. This way, parents could support their children and educate them, and the rich world would not even feel it,” said Andrevs Vallis from Unseen.
The panel also proposed concrete measures, such as returning children to school and a fairer distribution of profits within the industry to ensure decent work for adults and reduce the need for child labor.
“Poverty and lack of education are the root causes of child labor,” reminded Mjurijel Trejbih from the Clean Clothes Campaign.
Eveline de Vael from Fair Wear suggested that one immediate legal remedy should be to “immediately return children to school.”
The forum concluded that joint efforts, systemic solutions, and sustainable financing are key in the fight against all forms of exploitation.