Tackling Labour Exploitation: Your Gift Can Drive Change

Today, over 50 million people are living in modern slavery. One in three is a child, and most are women and girls. Of these, 28 million are victims of forced labour. As our patron, Cherie Blair (CBE), shared, “Exploitation is not something happening far away; it is embedded right here in British businesses.” Human trafficking is hidden on our high streets – in care homes, car washes, construction sites, and in everyday products we depend on, like our favourite jeans, smartphones, and wedding rings.

Earlier this year, investigators found “Barbie workers suffer burnt hands and blistered skin in Chinese factory for 2p a doll”. Workers in Mattel’s factories endured gruelling, unsafe conditions, with little regard for their well-being, to produce the toys for our children to play with. Our supply chains prioritise profits over people – the individuals behind these products are often invisible, their suffering hidden by layers of intermediaries. Yet, their pain is undeniable, and their stories demand action.

What Do STOP THE TRAFFIK Do?

Forced labour generates approximately $236 billion annually. STOP THE TRAFFIK is working to disrupt the traffickers’ business model, making exploitation unprofitable and unsustainable for those who perpetuate it. We do this by:

1. Preventing exploitation: educating and empowering at-risk communities to recognise and avoid recruitment into trafficking.
2. Disrupting money flows: partnering with financial institutions to identify and block the movement of illicit funds.
3. Providing intelligence: equipping businesses with actionable intelligence to uncover and eliminate forced labour in their supply chains.

What Can You Do?

When we tell members of the public about our work, the question we are most often asked is, “What can we do?” Individual actions seem inconsequential when faced with a $236bn criminal enterprise. While no single action can solve such a complex problem, the small changes we make every day can make a significant difference, especially alongside the work of NGOs, governments, businesses, and financial institutions.

As we enter the festive season, some of us have already begun to consider the Christmas gifts we plan to buy for our loved ones. It is important to remember that every time we shop, we make choices. These choices can either perpetuate or challenge the exploitation embedded in global supply chains.

By shopping ethically, we do more than buy a product—we take a stand. We help make exploitation less profitable, forcing unethical businesses to rethink their practices and stopping them from subsidising human trafficking. At the same time, we send a clear message to corporations that consumers demand dignity, fairness, and the protection of human rights.

Championing Ethical Alternatives

This festive season, STOP THE TRAFFIK is partnering with various ethical brands committed to promoting fair labour practices and driving positive change in high-risk industries.

• Manumit Coffee – Manumit works closely with farmers to guarantee ethical practices, ensuring every bean is free from exploitation. Their coffee is more than a product—it’s a lifeline. All their coffee is roasted by survivors of modern slavery, with fair wages, training, and support provided to help them rebuild their lives. All of Manumit’s profits are reinvested into global and local anti-slavery initiatives.

• Ombar Chocolate – Ombar work with a number of Ecuadorian cooperative farms, paying higher than fair trade prices for native Ecuadorian cacao that doesn’t fluctuate in price like the cheaper mass-market varieties do. Ombar employ a supply chain manager in Ecuador who works closely with the farmer’s cooperatives to ensure everything is collected, fermented, dried, and exported to our high Ombar standards.

• Holos Kombucha – Holos Kombucha is not only gut-loving, it is life-changing. Every box of Holos creates paid work placements for survivors of exploitation and trauma. The Holos Foundation is also supporting local families in West Sussex to host wholeness respite retreats for survivors.

• No Sweat – No Sweat is a grassroots international solidarity campaign against sweatshop labour in the garment industry. No Sweat source only from factories with strong workers’ rights and work closely with trade unions on the ground to make sure all clothes are made by workers that have democratic control of their work.

Unwrap the Truth

This festive period, STOP THE TRAFFIK will be unwrapping the truth, revealing the forced labour behind our Christmas gifts. By supporting STOP THE TRAFFIK and shopping ethically this holiday season, you send a powerful message:

                       Exploitation has no place in our world.