Two years after the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh killed more than 1,100 workers and injured 2,515 — the deadliest garment factory accident on record — donors and entrepreneurs are calling upon the power of data to prevent forced labor worldwide.
Labor trafficking is becoming harder to track as companies’ supply chains grow more complex, often involving thousands of subcontractors and delivering goods to retailers spread across the planet. But labor experts at the Global Philanthropy Forum in Washington, D.C., last week said new data innovations can help untangle the labyrinthine webs of labor exploitation that put workers — and their human rights — at risk.
“Slavery is in most supply chains, and we need data to address this,” Justin Dillon, CEO of Made in a Free World, told Devex on the sidelines of the conference.
About the author
Claire Luke
Claire is a journalist passionate about all things development, with a particular interest in labor, having worked previously for the Indonesia-based International Labor Organization. She has experience reporting in Cambodia, Nicaragua and Burma, and is happy to be immersed in the action of D.C. Claire is a master's candidate in development economics at the George Washington Elliott School of International Affairs and received her bachelor's degree in political philosophy from the College of the Holy Cross.