Security ministers from the Group of Seven countries have agreed
to coordinate efforts to tackle human trafficking online and
eliminate forced labour from supply chains, as part of a series
of measures to combat modern slavery across the globe.
At the G7 security meeting, Building a More Peaceful and Secure
World, which concluded in Toronto, Canada on Tuesday, Ministers
made nine commitments on behalf of the G7 which will be vital to
protecting those vulnerable to trafficking.
These included coordinating and sharing information and
intelligence on the emerging threat of online trafficking,
working with businesses to end forced labour in our economies,
and clamping down on the financial interests of those who profit
from trafficking.
UK Minister for Security, , said:
Modern slavery, human trafficking and forced labour are
barbaric crimes that devastate the lives of some of the most
vulnerable across the globe.
The UK government has led the way in tackling this crime and in
2015 introduced the Modern Slavery
Act to give our law enforcement agencies the tools they needed
to identify and protect victims and bring perpetrators to
justice.
But truly ending this global crime demands a global response,
which is why I am so proud of the agreements reached with my G7
colleagues this week. These commitments represent a real step
forward in the international response to this truly horrendous
crime.
At this week’s meeting, G7 ministers also recognised that women
and girls account for the majority of trafficking victims
worldwide and therefore the need to ensure the global response is
gender-sensitive and grounded in respect for human rights.
The G7 agreed to:
- work with business and civil society to eliminate trafficking
in persons, forced labour, child labour and all forms of slavery,
including modern slavery, from G7 economies, by developing
legislative, regulatory or policy frameworks, as appropriate
- strengthen procurement practices to eliminate trafficking in
persons, forced labour, child labour and slavery from global
supply chains and work to build a culture of consumer awareness
- welcome the objectives of the ‘Call to Action to end Forced
Labour, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking’, recognizing that
legal definitions vary from country to country
- uphold and promote the United Nations Convention against
Transnational Organized Crime and the Trafficking in Persons
Protocol (Palermo Protocol), consistent with national
reservations, understandings and declarations
- combat trafficking in persons by partnering with the private
sector and civil society to counter illicit financial flows
stemming from trafficking in persons, including by leveraging
financial intelligence and the work by the Financial Action Task
Force and its Global Network, as well as investigating and
prosecuting
- improve information sharing and data exchange within the
existing legal framework, explore opportunities for
cross-training and draw from best practices and lessons learned
from efforts to counter terrorism and efforts to counter
transnational organized crime. For example, by continuing to work
with the INTERPOL Global Task Force on Human Trafficking
- share information and best practices on support for and
reintegration of victims
- coordinate efforts and share best practices on how to address
the use of the internet to facilitate trafficking in persons
They also committed to encourage the Roma-Lyon Group on
Transnational Organized Crime and Terrorism to explore the
feasibility of a common public messaging campaign.
