Translating modern slavery supply chain policy ambitions into practice: activating behavioural triggers

现代奴隶制是一个普遍而持久的问题，据估计，全球有2490万人在从事强迫劳动。根除现代奴隶制是一项艰巨的挑战，持续的新冠肺炎效应相对于社会因素，正在增加商业决策中的商业优先事项。在国际上，供应链透明度(TISC)原则是最近立法的核心，如英国《现代奴隶法》(2015)和澳大利亚《现代奴隶法》(2018)。前提是，大公司供应链的透明度将促使它们对全球供应链中的现代奴隶制进行更严格的调查和管理。然而，对透明度和对社会负责的做法之间的联系了解甚少；对多层供应链的研究有限，披露往往是象征性的，而不是实质性的，现代奴隶制声明提供的承诺含糊其辞，缺乏所采取行动的细节。因此，这一研究方案的目的是建立能力，以便了解企业决策者的行为和态度如何影响对社会负责的供应链做法。归根结底，这将支持政策执行，防止制造现代奴隶制受害者，并防止幸存者恢复和支助的高昂人力成本。该方案将扩大已经在以下方面与主要利益攸关方建立的关系：政策制定(英国内政部)、政策执行(皇家商业服务局，CCS)、大公司、非政府组织(例如道德贸易倡议，ETI)、专业协会(特许采购与供应学会，CIPS)和学术界。因此，将在参与性行动研究(PAR)方法中结合使用光激发方法。照片启发将被用来使人们在私下和工作中看待现代奴隶制的方式浮出水面。它将确定从业者与现代奴隶制有关的态度和行动，并将揭示参与者对其影响当前问题(机构)的能力的看法。与PAR的结合将使理论见解能够在实际环境中进行评估。这将通过政府采购政策和做法以及政府承包商的供应链决策者来实现。参与式方法将提高所有参与研究方案的人的意识，帮助确定变革的机会和后果，以适应更多面向社会的供应链实践。研究金将在建设扩大这些关系的能力方面发挥关键作用，并通过研究影响政策和实践协调变化的发展。CCS将为选定的一级供应商的参与者提供通道，通过这些供应商将调查供应链做法。重要的是，该方案将与ETI接触并共同创建研究方法，ETI直接与个人和组织合作，通过培训和教育打击现代奴隶制。我的研究金将与澳大利亚RMIT大学(商业和人权中心)、国际奴隶制协会和国际奴隶制博物馆作为项目合作伙伴，共同进行研究设计、推荐和传播成果。该方案的核心成果是促进发展关于供应链透明度的高质量研究，这些研究可用来支持对社会负责的立法和组织实践。

Modern slavery is a pervasive and persistent problem with estimates that globally 24.9m people are in forced labour. Eradicating modern slavery is a grand challenge made arduous by ongoing COVID-19 effects that are increasing commercial priorities in business decision making, relative to social factors. Internationally, transparency in supply chain (TISC) principles lie at the heart of recent legislation such as the UK Modern Slavery Act (2015) and Australia's Modern Slavery Act (2018). The premise is that transparency in large companies' supply chains will commit them to more rigorous investigations and management of modern slavery in global supply chains. However, links between transparency and socially responsible practices are poorly understood; research in multi-tier supply chains is limited and disclosure is often symbolic rather than substantive, with modern slavery statements providing vague commitments that lack details of action undertaken. Hence, the aim of this research programme is to build capacity for developing an understanding of how business decision-makers' behaviours and attitudes impact socially responsible supply chain practices. Ultimately, this will support policy implementation in a manner that prevents the creation of modern slavery victims and the high human costs of survivor recovery and support. The programme will extend relationships that have already been established with key stakeholders in: policy making (UK Home Office), policy implementation (Crown Commercial Service, CCS), large corporations, NGOs (e.g. the Ethical Trading Initiative, ETI), professional associations (Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, CIPS) and academia.The research methodology recognises the visually connoted themes in modern slavery, such as transparency. Therefore, photo-elicitation methods will be utilised in conjunction within a participatory action research (PAR) approach. Photo-elicitation will be utilised to bring to the surface the way people see modern slavery both in private and at work. It will establish practitioners' attitudes and actions relating to modern slavery and will reveal participants' perceptions about their ability to influence prevailing issues (agency). The combination with PAR will enable theoretical insights to be assessed in practical contexts. This will be through Government procurement policy and practice and government contractors' supply chain decision makers. The participatory approach will raise the consciousness of all involved in the research programme, helping to identify opportunities and consequences of change to accommodate more socially-oriented supply chain practices.The fellowship will be pivotal in building capacity to extend these relationships and, through research, influencing the development of coordinated changes to policy and practice. The CCS will provide access to participants in selected tier-one suppliers, through which supply chain practices will be investigated. Importantly, the programme will engage and co-create research methods with ETI who work directly with individuals and organisations to combat modern slavery through training and education. My fellowship will engage with RMIT University, Australia (Business and Human Rights Centre), CIPS and the International Slavery Museum as project partners for research co-design, recommendations and dissemination of results. The core outcome of the programme is to contribute to the development of high-quality research on transparency in supply chains that can be used to underpin socially responsible legislation and organisational practice.