Introduction of the "Business Supply Chain Transparency on Trafficking and Slavery Act of 2015"
Floor Speech
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Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce bipartisan legislation along with my fellow co-chair on the Human Trafficking Caucus, Rep. Chris Smith.
Very few Americans are aware that many of the goods they use everyday are tainted by human trafficking or the worst forms of child labor. According to the U.S. Department of Labor's 2014 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor, 136 goods from 74 countries were made by forced and child labor. This bill will require businesses to disclose policies and practices they employ to eliminate human trafficking from operations and product development.
The Business Supply Chain Transparency on Trafficking and Slavery Act doesn't tell businesses what to do, but rather informs consumers what they are doing to eliminate human slavery from their supply chains.
This legislation would help inform consumers where and how their goods are made. While there are good actors, there are businesses operating in parts of the world that rely on enslaved humans to produce their products. We believe American consumers have a right to know who these companies are.
This legislation creates a market-based solution rather than relying on prescriptive action by the federal government. Large global companies already reporting to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) simply need to include what they are doing to rid their supply chains of human slavery and post this information on their company websites. Consumers will be empowered to make their purchasing decisions based on the information provided. Very simply, this bill creates an incentive to improve practices to end slavery.
Human trafficking is 21st century slavery. The International Labor Organization estimates that nearly 21 million people are working in some form of forced labor worldwide. We must use every tool available to help these men, women, and children around the world who are enslaved.
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