Sponsored by UPS, United Way Worldwide and Deloitte hosted the Leadership Roundtable in Singapore on anti-human trafficking and modern slavery. The one-and-a-half-day event, held from October 31 to November 1, 2019, brought together experts in the field, from anti-trafficking NPOs, corporates and tech companies, to collectively discuss ways we can scale best practices in combatting the issue.
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Multilateral Efforts: Understanding How Global Efforts Impact the Region
This final session delved into what has been done so far by multilateral institutions to combat modern slavery, highlighting the Bali Process, the UK Modern Slavery Act and other international legislature. Mara Vanderslice Kelly drew attention to the extreme lack of US government funding for this issue, and other participants pointed out that the existing regional legislature has been largely unenforced in Asia. Despite this, recent efforts by the Australian government and other bodies, such as the International Organization for Migration, to scrutinize supply chains indicate a growing movement to address this issue.
Speakers
- Tara Dermott, Head of Sub-office, Hong Kong SAR, China, International Organisation for Migration
- Mara Vanderslice Kelly, Executive Director, Center on Human Trafficking & Slavery, United Way Worldwide
- Sarah Kerrigan, Manager, Sustainability Services, Deloitte Asia Pacific
- Kimberly Stietz (Moderator), Associate, Covington & Burling LLP
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Opportunities and Barriers For Growth
Barriers
1. Collaboration
- Lack of cross-sector collaboration (in practice) and mistrust between sectors.
- Unwillingness of region’s governments to partner.
- De-politicizing inter-regional regulations.
2. Lack of Global Frameworks for Success
- Missing comprehensive study of implementation of binding/non-binding laws and treaties.
- Lack of clear target by which to measure progress.
3. Complexity of Issue
- Adaptability/innovation of criminal activities.
- No one-size-fits-all solutions (social/cultural/sectoral/industry differences).
- NGOs perceived mobility to influence policy vs. reality.
- Marginalizing human rights as a framework – gender discrimination.
4. Lack of Funding
- So far, there has only been short-term funding commitments, including for global leadership, in this space.
Opportunities
1. Engage the Public
- Leverage consumer power and promote marketplaces of products with sustainable supply chains.
- Propagate grassroots NPOs’ stories and experience to the wider community.
- Spread human trafficking awareness through social media influencers.
2. Improve NPO Efficiency
- Reduce duplication of anti-trafficking efforts.
- Package wealth of experience and research on the ground effectively to better inform private and government sector.
3. Involve Financial Institutions
- Use financial institutions expertise and connect them with law enforcement e.g. JMLIC.
- Take advantage of Singapore’s efforts to digitalize trade-based transactions and encourage greater transparency.
- Leverage and share existing fin-tech initiatives to scale solutions.
4. Vary Strategies when Appealing to Governments
- Engage governments using appropriate language and stimulate political discussion around the issue.
- Identify key incentives to leverage change.
