Countries at risk of Modern Slavery (High risk)

A list of all high-risk and prohibited countries can be found at the bottom of this article.

What is Modern Slavery?

“Modern slavery refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, or abuses of power. It takes many forms and is known by many names — forced labour, forced marriage, debt bondage, sexual exploitation, human trafficking, slavery-like practices, forced or servile marriage, and the sale and exploitation of children”. (Global Slavery Index 2023, Walk Free) pg8

Key Stats from the Global Slavery Index 2023, Walk Free:

G20 countries are importing more than $468 billion worth of products at risk of forced labour.
Clothing production has almost doubled in the past 15 years alone, and today G20 countries are collectively importing US$148 billion worth of apparel goods and US$13 billion worth of textiles at risk of being produced by forced labour every year.
Of the top 5 highest ranking industries for at-risk imports, textiles rank 5th and garments rank 2nd.

Which countries are considered high-risk?

Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Cambodia
Cameroon
China
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Egypt
El Salvador
Ethiopia
Gabon
India
Indonesia
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Madagascar
Malaysia
Oman
Pakistan
Philippines
Qatar
Tajikistan
Thailand
Türkiye
Vietnam
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Venezuela

Which countries are restricted and cannot serve as manufacturers for items sold through W&B?

Afghanistan
Burundi
Central African Republic
Eritrea
Iran
Iraq
Libya
Mauritania
Myanmar
Nicaragua
North Korea
Russia
Saudi Arabia
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan

What do I need to provide if I manufacture in a high-risk country?

We are extra vigilant when it comes to assessing brands that manufacture in high-risk countries. We require brands manufacturing in these countries to have audits or third-party certifications to confirm working conditions, especially when the brand has not been able to visit the facility or works with a factory of 50 workers or more.

We recognise that for studio brands, partnering with small-scale manufacturing partners, social audit certifications may not be accessible. We will therefore review each case individually and may consider additional evidence of due diligence actions taken in lieu of audit certifications, where applicable.

Sources:

https://www.fairwear.org/programmes/countries

https://cdn.walkfree.org/content/uploads/2023/05/17114737/Global-Slavery-Index-2023.pdf

https://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/2019-06-ituc-global-rights-index-2019-report-en-2.pdf

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/human-rights-index-vdem?tab=table

Labour Behind The Label

Clean Clothes Campaign

* The Global Slavery Index and Human Rights Index are updated every four years, last updated in 2023. We are continually reviewing our sources to ensure we comply with the latest guidance.