Chapter 04 · People & supply chainsHuman Rights & Social Sustainability
Modern slavery
Definition
Modern slavery is an umbrella term for severe exploitation such as forced labour, human trafficking, slavery-like practices and servitude.
References
(s.4) — conduct constituting an offence under Criminal Code Divisions 270–271 (slavery, servitude, forced labour, forced marriage, human trafficking, debt bondage, deceptive recruiting, child labour worst forms).
Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth)Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) · verified 2026-08-22Official text
This reference provides supporting context for how “Modern slavery” is defined and used.
Overview
What it means in practice
Modern slavery should be read as a human-rights and social-sustainability term. Its meaning depends on the affected people, workplace, legal context, severity and evidence available.
In practice, users should state the boundary, actor, method and evidence. That keeps modern slavery specific enough for review without turning it into a broader claim.
Why it matters
Modern slavery matters because social sustainability language can affect real rights, remedy and accountability. Clear wording helps prevent serious harms from being hidden behind generic risk language.
Common misconception
A common error is to treat Modern slavery as a compliance label only. The stronger approach is to state who is affected, what harm or right is at issue, and what evidence or remedy exists.
Review questions
Who or what is covered by the term? What evidence supports it? What limitation, method or affected group would change how a reader interprets the claim?
How it is used
The term appears in workplace policy, sourcing, human-rights due diligence, community engagement and supply-chain management, where employers, buyers, suppliers, governments, workers and affected communities use it to classify, assess or communicate an umbrella term for severe exploitation such as forced labour, human trafficking, slavery-like practices and servitude.
Its correct use depends on the affected population, supply-chain boundary, local context, timeframe and evidence from rights-holders.