Tuesday, October 25, 2022 12:00pm to 1:30pm
About this Event
Fifth Ave at Bigelow, Pittsburgh, 15213
Join the Frederick Honors College for a presentation by Matt Friedman and Sylvia Yu Friedman, award-winning international trafficking experts to discuss the problem of human trafficking and its connections to modern slavery and the private sector.
The Problem
Human trafficking, which represents the recruitment, transport, receipt and harbouring of people for the purpose of exploiting their labour, affects almost all parts of the world. Globally, it is estimated that there are over 40 million men, women and children in modern-slavery situations today. These victims, who can be found in factories, construction sites, fisheries and sex venues, are forced to work for little or no pay, deprived of their freedom and often subjected to unimaginable suffering. According to the United Nations, there are more people in modern slavery than any other time in history. With the COVID pandemic, this issue has become even more relevant.
Modern Slavery and the Private Sector
The issue of modern slavery in USA is a very sensitive topic within the private sector. Many companies don’t want to believe that modern slavery could be a part of their supply chains. Others recognize the problem, but don’t know how to get started solving it. Still others are unsure of the quality of their anti-slavery systems relative to their peers and don’t know how to improve their policies and procedures. But with a range of new legislation related to modern slavery globally and within USA, increasing numbers of lawsuits against corporations, and wider media attention, ignoring this issue is not an option. The reality is that modern slavery—such as forced labor and debt bondage—is part of every economy, including USA’s. Most American businesses would be horrified to learn that their products were made by slaves someplace in the world. That their construction and mining sites could be using slave labor. That traffickers could be laundering money through their bank.
Join us for the in-person presentation and discussion!
Please let us know if you require an accommodation in order to participate in this event. Accommodations may include live captioning, ASL interpreters, and/or captioned media and accessible documents from recorded events. At least 5 days in advance is recommended.