How Consumers Are Still Fuelling Modern Day Slavery

By Johanna Ramaer

On 23 October, a lorry container filled with thirty-nine dead bodies was found in Essex, UK. They were identified as the bodies of thirty-nine Vietnamese nationals who were hoping to get to the UK, but passed away before they had the chance to see a glimpse of the country. Following the discovery of the bodies, several people have been charged with or suspected of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people— according to Anti-Slavery International, the latter amounts to Modern Day Slavery (MDS).

The Essex lorry tragedy consumed the news headlines leaving many people shocked and horrified. But in fact, Modern Day Slavery is much more part of our everyday lives than this event (and people’s reactions to it) might suggest. Placing blame on the driver, or other people responsible for this trafficking case, is legitimate, but fails to admit our own contribution to MDS. Just look at the fashion industry where our contribution to MDS as fashion consumers is very evident.

Major accidents like the Rana Plaza building collapse in 2013, the Ali Enterprises Factory fire in Pakistan in 2012 and the boiler explosion in the Multifabs factory in Bangladesh in 2017 have revealed the dire conditions of garment workers to the outside world. Following these news stories many people showed their disapproval of such conditions in the garment industry. Yet, despite this media attention, little seems to have changed. According to the report Tailored Wages 2019 no major clothing brand is able to show that any workers making their clothing in Asia, Africa, Central America or Eastern Europe are paid enough to escape the poverty trap. This is partly due to our prevailing culture of buying clothes as cheaply as possible. Worker’s wages are not likely to change if consumers keep buying clothes for the low prices that are actually too good to be true. In fact, consumers actually contribute to MDS within the fashion industry through supporting this culture of buying clothes as cheaply as possible.

According to the the Global Slavery Index 2018, countries with the highest prevalence of modern slavery are located in Asia and Africa— “By declaring modern slavery as a problem that happens ‘over there’, high-GDP countries are ignoring their culpability for this human rights crisis”. The report estimates that the UK imports roughly £18 billion worth of products that are at risk of supporting modern slavery. Many of these products are from UK brands, and merely manufactured abroad.

However, it is not true that nothing is happening in the fight against MDS in the fashion industry. Last June the UK government committed itself to a public database, which would list the companies who report on Modern Day Slavery, making their annual statements fully transparent. However, such initiatives put the responsibility with the brands and factories, not with the consumers. Consumers have the tendency to react with horror to media reports about abuses within the industry— but somehow many people cannot think twice when we stand in a shop. And as long as we keep buying unsustainable clothes, MDS within the fashion industry is unlikely to change much.

The Essex lorry deaths are yet another example of the existence of Modern Day Slavery. And while such accidents create shortlived outbursts of shock and resentment, the fashion industry is a clear example that the fight on MDS is far from over. Instead of pointing fingers and getting worked up about horror stories in the media, start by asking yourself how you can help the fight against MDS.

Tamara Cincik