Hope for Justice attended the official launch this week of a landmark report urging the United Nations to take further action to combat modern slavery in global supply chains. ‘No Country Is Immune’, published by the Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, lays out the steps needed to achieve the UN goal of eradicating modern slavery by 2030.
Sarah Butler, Hope for Justice’s United States Program Director, attended the launch at the United Nations headquarters in New York on 8th April. Our team contributed case studies, evidence and expertise, including from our direct work with victims and survivors of modern slavery, to help inform the report.
Sarah Butler said: “It was a privilege for us to be invited to the formal launch of the report. There were so many key stakeholders in the anti-trafficking sector globally who were in attendance and an incredible panel of speakers, so it was a brilliant opportunity to connect on a personal level. We look forward to continued engagement with the Commission and to build relationships and partnerships with other stakeholders to further our impact and drive us closer to eliminating human trafficking globally.
“The full report itself is beautifully put together, and knowing that we contributed is a big honour.”
At the launch, there was a strong focus on the vulnerabilities to modern slavery, including climate change, poverty, irregular migration, conflict, and discrimination. The first session also looked at the importance of addressing the root causes of exploitation.
Keynote speakers highlighted the critical recommendations made within the report. The repeated sentiment was the necessity for a standardised world response to human trafficking, ensuring that every country implements strong trauma-informed and survivor-centred legislation, has unified definitions and works collaboratively.
In her speech, Theresa May, Chair of the Global Commission and former UK Prime Minister, called for urgent action to avoid millions more people becoming trapped in exploitation.
In her foreword within the report, she writes: “This is a moral stain on our humanity. Modern slavery and human trafficking is indeed the greatest human rights issue of our time. If we are to end this degrading and inhumane activity, to give people back their freedom and the right to make choices over their own lives, we need to act and we need to act now. This report of the Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking is a wake-up call to the world.”
Theresa May attended Hope for Justice’s head office in 2023 and met with our CEO Tim Nelson to learn about our work and discuss opportunities to collaborate in the global fight against modern slavery.
Phillipa Roberts, Hope for Justice’s Head of Policy and Research, said: “It is a privilege to work with the Global Commission and contribute to this important report. We are looking forward to the next steps and continuing to work collaboratively to end this serious human rights violation and crime.”
The new report is a call for urgent, collaborative action, and provides a number of recommendations to governments, businesses and civil society to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking.
