The Thomson Reuters Foundation has successfully launched the Stop Slavery Award.
The initiative aims to create a virtuous cycle, rewarding the courage of businesses that have gone above and beyond to try to eradicate forced labour from their supply chains.
“This is a business friendly initiative,” said Thomson Reuters Foundation CEO Monique Villa. “Forced labour destroys the lives of 36 million people worldwide. Some companies are taking action. This Award is an opportunity to find out who they are”, she said.
The launch of the initiative received prime media coverage from CNN and BBC World. An opinion piece written by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance and Monique Villa was published on the Huffington Post.
Companies wishing to apply for the award will complete a questionnaire developed in partnership with global law firm Baker & McKenzie and other experts in the field.
Winners of the Stop Slavery Award, an artwork by Turner Prize winner Anish Kapoor, will be selected by a judging board composed of Nobel Peace Prize Kailash Satyarthi, global human rights and business expert John Ruggie, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr, Britain’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Kevin Hyland, Edelman President and CEO Richard Edelman, and international criminal prosecutor Patricia Sellers.
The awarded companies will receive the right to use the Stop Slavery Award logo for one year. Displaying the logo will help guide consumer and customer decisions and contribute to raise cross-sector awareness about the issue of forced labour, encouraging more companies to investigate, improve and eradicate unfair and illegal labour practices in their supply chains.
Applications for the Stop Slavery Awards are open until August 26, 2016. The first award ceremony will take place on November 30 at the Trust Women conference.
