Last International Women's Day, the Prime Minister, The Hon
Julia Gillard MP announced a new whole-of-government strategy to
"reinforce ethical behaviour in procurement so that no firm
providing goods or services to the Commonwealth is tainted by
slavery or people-trafficking anywhere in the supply chain".
This statement reminds us that the purchases we make in
Australia have a ripple effect around the globe as the developed
world blatantly takes advantage of those who are trapped in a
cycle of poverty. "We know slavery or people-trafficking are
becoming a greater issue as the global economy becomes more
interlinked," Ms Gillard went on to say. "I'd hate to see a
single cent of public money go to any entity involved in this
vile trade." In 2012 the International Labour Organisation
estimated nearly 21 million people were victims of forced labour
across the world, trapped in jobs which they were coerced into
and cannot leave. "The Asia-Pacific region accounts for the
largest number of forced labourers in the w