The document summarizes a workshop on applying the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) to combat human trafficking. It discusses how the UNGPs establish universal standards for companies to prevent human rights violations and ensure victims have access to remedies. It notes how various jurisdictions are implementing measures aligned with the UNGPs, and outlines how companies can operationalize the UNGPs by addressing risks, procedures, supply chains, training, and reporting.

1. FINANCE AGAINST TRAFFICKING
The Business of Traffick in Humans Workshop
Oxford University, 8th May 2014
Applying the UNGPs in the fight against
Trafficking: Practical Approach for Business
Colleen Theron
Director, Finance Against Trafficking

2.  set of universal standards
 prevent companies violating human rights
 ensure adequate redress
 not legally binding -but based on international law
 universally applicable benchmarks
 UK context
 Action Plan on Business and Human Rights
 Legal developments
What is the legal context?

3.  Potential for liability is rising:
 Contractual requirements
 Reliance on disclosures
 Eg: investment funds and asset managers
 A range of measures in support of the UN Guiding
Principles are coming into play, eg:
 EU Calling for national action plans
 Consultative process in US and UK
 Review of adminsitrative process in the
Netherlands
 ASEAN intergovernmental commission on human
rights has initiated a study on CSR and human
rights in the region
Harder than soft law ?

4.  Article 8 of International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights provides:
‘ all humans shall have the right not to be subjected to
slavery, servitude or forced labour’
 human trafficking by definition involves exploitation in the
form of slavery, forced labour, including prostitution and
therefore all human trafficking is automatically a violation
of these human rights
 children: any form of movement or transportation
whether their consent is given or not is a form of
trafficking’
How are these human rights relevant to human trafficking?

5.  any company can be measured against them
 can be criticized by civil society
 risks to companies:
• legal and regulatory
• reputational
• operational
Why should companies know about them?

6.  Directly: recruiting, transporting, harbouring or receiving
 Indirectly: business premises, products or services
 By association: suppliers, sub contractors or business
partners
 Through investment: in companies connected to human
rights violations
How can business be connected to these human rights
violations?

7.  Guiding principles identify corporate responsibility:
• respecting human rights
• taking account of impacts
• creating a policy
• internal due diligence
• integration into internal processes
• reporting
• remediation of problems
Operational principles for companies

8.  address their strategy
 address their risks
 address their operational procedures
 Chainchecker
 what about reporting?
How should companies go about doing this?

9. To raise awareness of trafficking risks within a company
and their obligations under law (international and local)
We are promoting and offering best practice:
• Anti Money Laundering
• Ruggie, UN Guiding principles
• Policies, processes and procedures
• Legal frameworks
• Supply chain audits
• Training
• Employee engagement
• Tools and Resources - Chainchecker
Finance Against Trafficking – What we do

10. ChainChecker

11. Bottom Up: Supported by community programmes
Business must also engage with and educate:
• Community leaders, student groups, mothers,
teenagers and children
and build sustainable communities and families by providing:
• Job security
• Living wages
• Access to education and healthcare
Such measures help to reduce both the supply and demand
for trafficked labour

12. Thank you.
Any questions?