Some of the most iconic names in global business - including the travel industry - have joined together to form The Global Business Coalition Against Human Trafficking (gBCAT), a group of global corporations that recognizes that business can play a role in the effort to end human trafficking and all forms of modern day slavery. Founding members include: ManpowerGroup, NXP, ExxonMobil, The Coca-Cola Company, Carlson, Delta Air Lines, LexisNexis, Microsoft, and Travelport.
The coalition cites International Labor Organization statistics that indicate that there are nearly 21 million slaves in the world today. After working for over a year together and independently, today gBCAT formally announced its mission to mobilize the expertise, resources and voice of coalition members to help fight against human trafficking, which includes all forms of forced labor and sex trafficking, most notably child prostitution.
Capitalizing on the organizational strengths, resources and reach of global businesses, gBCAT seeks to impact the issue of human trafficking, the coalition said. gBCAT members are committed to assisting in the eradication of trafficking in supply chains where forced labor may unknowingly be present. Another area of focus is sex trafficking, with a particular emphasis on the commercial sexual exploitation of children, most notably in the travel and tourism industry.
Global businesses that demonstrate a similar commitment are invited and encouraged to join gBCAT. gBCAT said it will pursue such initiatives as training modules for employees, general awareness-raising among consumers, suppliers and partners, best-practice sharing with other companies and assistance for other companies that wish to engage in this issue. gBCAT said it will also continue their collaboration with governments, NGOs and other members of civil society to work towards the cross-sector solutions necessary to fight all forms of modern slavery.
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