Baroness Goudie (Lab)

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for bringing this report and securing this debate. I also thank those who worked on the committee, my noble friend Lady O’Grady for the work her committee has done, and others in this House who are working on this issue. I have a long-standing interest in today’s discussion. As an adviser to the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Human Rights Committee’s report, Forced Labour in UK Supply Chains. The figures provided by the International Labour Organization are beyond disturbing: every single day, an estimated 27.6 million people are trapped into forced labour conditions—nearly double the populations of London, Manchester and Birmingham combined. Of course, this travesty is not gender neutral. Of the 6.3 million people in forced commercial sexual exploitation, nearly four out of five are women and girls. Children—who are the most vulnerable and deserve care from their communities—make up 3.3 million of those stuck inside forced labour situations, of which over half a million are commercially sexually exploited. No one who has been sexually exploited lives a long life; we ought to realise that. Every single one of these people deserves our efforts to secure them the freedoms they deserve. The nature of supply chains means that many of these cases are deliberately obscured and hidden beneath layers of supply chain contracts, and ultimately also hidden within British homes and workplaces. Our current framework asks only companies with a turnover of £36 million to report on supply chains. The committee noted that due diligence currently takes a voluntary approach that disregards businesses that take this responsible approach but do not always publish. I support the committee’s call for mandatory human rights due diligence throughout the supply chain and would want to ensure that safe reporting mechanisms for victims are prioritised at every level, including the right to autonomy and protections of the dignity of the people who have experienced this trauma. I also support the call for businesses to have a duty to prevent, meaning that victims have a route to a civil claim if they are wronged. I hope the Government will look again at establishing a survivor advisory council. Those who have lived through this terrible form of exploitation understand the truth of its mechanisms more than any legislator ever could. Finally, I briefly bring attention to the fact that our principal trading partners are moving forward in this area. The EU will be banning the sale, import and export of goods made with forced labour from December 2027. While that is a while away yet, it is a strong and decisive move, and one that we must bear in mind to avoid goods that are rejected over the channel being simply redirected to be sold at our stores. A year has passed since the committee’s recommended timetable for legislation, and we now have a new Government. Both give us a real opportunity for fresh leadership on this matter. Can my noble friend the Minister say when the Government expect to set out their legislative plans? I congratulate the Minister on being with us today.