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The United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) president Julia K Hughes recently testified before the Senate Finance Committee on Fighting Forced Labour: Closing Loopholes and Improving Customs Enforcement to Mandate Clean Supply Chains and Protect Workers. She testified on behalf of the industry about the fight against forced labour and how to improve enforcement.
Even before media reports about forced labour appeared, the industry in the United States along with apparel, footwear and retail associations joined together to create a forced labour working group, USFIA said in a press release.
In addition to sharing resources and best practices, the industry is pioneering and implementing new technologies and innovative approaches to decipher where supply chains are susceptible to forced labour.
Her testimony highlighted the need for a multi-stakeholder approach that includes a combination of civil society, non-governmental organisations, companies, governments and international institutions to reach the shared goal of eliminating forced labour.
Hughes also outlined how the US government can help the industry tackle forced labour in the supply chain.
“The task is not easy (to put it mildly). My personal belief is that to eliminate forced labor we need to go beyond what companies can do on their own, and go beyond an emphasis on punitive measures, to use multi-stakeholder approaches. The combination of civil society, NGOs, companies, governments and international institutions is needed to reach our shared goal to eliminate forced labour,” Hughes said in her testimony.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
The US Fashion Industry Association president Julia K Hughes recently testified before the Senate Finance Committee on Fighting Forced Labour: Closing Loopholes and Improving Customs Enforcement to Mandate Clean Supply Chains and Protect Workers. She testified on behalf of the industry about the fight against forced labour and how to improve enforcement.