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Modern slavery must be a top priority for G20 countries following the W20 Social Summit, with US$468 billion worth of imported goods at risk of forced labour each year.
There’s an urgent need for stronger due diligence laws, import bans, and coordinated policies to combat forced labour in supply chains.
Modern slavery affects an estimated 50 million people worldwide, and more than half are living in G20 countries, according to the latest Global Slavery Index.
Despite their economic power, G20 leaders have yet to explicitly address modern slavery in their annual Leaders’ Declaration, leaving a major gap in global action.
G20 countries must lead by example by implementing robust legal and regulatory frameworks to eliminate forced labour.
They must also protect workers and support survivor-led solutions.
This is the first time the W20 has considered modern slavery, which is a testament and legacy for South Africa’s host year.
G20 purchasing practices fuel exploitation in lower-income countries at the frontlines of global supply chains.
Electronics, garments, and solar panels are among the high-risk imports linked to forced labour.
Over half of the people living in modern slavery are exploited within G20 borders. There are 7 members, including India, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Indonesia, Türkiye, and the United States, among the top 10 countries with the largest number of people in modern slavery.
Despite this, no G20 country is doing enough to combat modern slavery relative to its wealth and resources.
Modern slavery is a gendered issue. Women and girls are disproportionately impacted through forced labour, forced marriage, and gender-based violence.
Migrant workers are also vulnerable, being 3 times more likely to be in forced labour than other adult workers.
These groups often face overlapping risks, leaving them with fewer protections and limited access to justice.
Modern slavery is a key issue for the W20, which is the G20’s official civil society engagement group on women.
It directly affects the care economy, financial inclusion, women’s entrepreneurship, and efforts to end gender-based violence.
Some G20 members have taken important steps, including:
• Australia and the UK’s Modern Slavery Acts• The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)• Saudi Arabia’s National Policy to Eliminate Forced Labour
International businesses are also under increasing pressure from investors and consumers to address the risks of forced labour in their supply chains.
However, without coordination across the G20, these patchwork efforts risk undermining progress and allowing exploitation to continue unchecked.
To effectively combat modern slavery at a regional level, the G20 must take decisive and coordinated action to prioritise this issue in their Leaders’ Declaration.
At a national level, Walk Free recommends G20 countries do the following steps:
The G20 makes up 85 per cent of global GDP and sits at the centre of the world’s trading system.
Coordinated G20 action to eliminate modern slavery would have a significant effect on global supply chains, worker protections, and corporate accountability.
“Modern slavery, including forced labour, forced marriage, debt bondage, and human trafficking, is a profound economic injustice that continues to disproportionately impact women and girls,” Gender Equality Executive Director Jacqueline Joudo Larsen says.
“We are calling on G20 economies to strengthen frameworks to remove exploitation from supply chains, invest in work and care infrastructure, and ensure survivor-led solutions are at the centre of the global response.”
Establishing a standing G20 working group on decent work and human rights would ensure consistent international cooperation, moving beyond fragmented responses toward meaningful global change.