What is modern slavery?
What is modern slavery?
Modern slavery occurs when a person is exploited and cannot freely leave their work or situation due to threats, coercion, debt, or deception. It is a serious crime and a severe violation of human rights.
Modern slavery can occur in any country and is often hidden. It does not always involve physical restraint. Common indicators may include:
Withheld or unpaid wages
Unfair recruitment fees or the need to work to pay off a debt
Confiscation of identity documents
Threats, intimidation, or fear of deportation
Deceptive recruitment or labour hire practices
If a person cannot leave their work freely or is being controlled through fear, debt, or deception, this may indicate modern slavery.
Why suppliers are critical to tackling modern slavery
Why suppliers are critical to tackling modern slavery
Modern slavery risks most often sit within diverse supply chains rather than at the head office of large organisations. Suppliers can be best placed to provide information about workforce practices, recruitment arrangements, labour hire, subcontracting, and sourcing locations.
Supplier assessments enable organisations to:
Understand how suppliers operate
Assess what suppliers know about the issue of modern slavery
Identify how and where people may be at higher risk
Work effectively with suppliers to provide guidance or support
Focus on collaboration and improvement rather than assumptions
Without supplier responses, assumptions are made and risks may remain hidden, meaning organisations cannot manage those risks effectively and opportunities to improve working conditions are missed.
Completing an assessmentis not an administrative exercise. It is a practical way to understand what’s going on, make risks visible and support meaningful action.
The legal context
The legal context
Under the Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) and other international legislation, many organisations are required to:
Identify modern slavery risks in their operations and supply chains
Take action to address those risks
Measure change over time
Report annually on those risks and actions
Supplier information is essential to meeting these obligations. Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQs) help organisations understand supply chain risks and report on those risks accurately and transparently, as required by law.
What completing an assessment does – and does not – mean
What completing an assessment does – and does not – mean
Completing a supplier assessment:
Does not imply wrongdoing or suspicion
Is not an audit or a certification
Does not require perfect systems or policies
Instead, it:
Supports honest identification of potential risks
Provides a range of free, international educational resources on the topic
Enables proportionate, practical responses
Encourages constructive engagement between organisations and suppliers
Helps ensure risks to workers are not overlooked
Honest responses are more valuable than “perfect” ones; that way, the right resources can be provided at the right time to support continuous improvement.
Working together to address risk
Working together to address risk
Our clients want to collaborate with suppliers and other businesses that are working to address modern slavery risks within their supply chains – whether they are just starting out, or developing new initiatives to support human rights.
By completing the assessment, you help organisations understand how to work better with you and how to provide support where needed. You also contribute to required annual reporting on modern slavery and human rights risks under the Modern Slavery Act 2018.
Suppliers are strongly encouraged to complete assessments as soon as possible so organisations can engage constructively and address risks in a timely way.
If you have questions about an assessment or the supplier platform, contact [email protected] or your nominated contact at the requesting organisation.
About Informed 365
About Informed 365
Informed 365 is an Australian sustainability and compliance platform that helps organisations collect supplier information, assess modern slavery risks, prioritise action, and meet reporting obligations under the Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth).
In summary
In summary
Supplier assessments are a practical tool for understanding suppliers’ levels of knowledge and action, and addressing modern slavery risks.
By completing an assessment honestly and accurately, suppliers play a direct role in strengthening responsible supply chains and reducing the risk of harm to people.