Today marks a significant advancement in the fight against forced labour, as the Council of the European Union has officially adopted the Forced Labour Regulation (FLR). The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) welcomes this historic decision, prioritising human rights within EU trade and supply chain policies.
This Regulation empowers authorities to remove products associated with forced labour from the EU market, ensuring that Europe does not contribute to the exploitation of the estimated 27.6 million people trapped in forced labour worldwide. This is crucial to aligning trade practices with the EU’s human rights and ethical governance commitment.
“Today, Member States have shown their determination to stand against one of the gravest violations of human dignity. Consumers deserve assurances that the products they buy are not tainted with abuse and exploitation,” said Steve Trent, CEO and Founder of EJF.
“However, passing this Regulation is only the first step. The true test lies in how swiftly and ambitiously it is implemented. Failure to act decisively, including through the allocation of sufficient resources in delivering product bans, would mean ongoing impunity for exploitative companies.”
EJF’s investigations into forced labour in global fisheries and supply chains have consistently uncovered severe exploitation, including instances of physical abuse, withheld wages, and life-threatening working conditions.
