The Limits of Economic Tariffs
Trade tariffs and broad import restrictions are increasingly deployed by governments as political leverage to combat forced labor across the Asia-Pacific region. However, economic penalties alone fail to address the systemic root causes affecting the region’s estimated 15 million modern slaves.
Rather than penalizing entire export sectors and vulnerable local workforces, achieving genuine human rights reform requires shifting policy focus away from geopolitical trade leverage toward robust, enforceable corporate supply chain governance.
Mandatory Due Diligence Across Deep-Tier Suppliers
Lasting reform depends on establishing mandatory human rights due diligence frameworks that legally bind corporations to complete transparency across all supply tiers.
Because severe labor abuses primarily occur among deep-tier subcontractors and raw material suppliers rather than primary exporters, regulatory oversight must extend well beyond direct business relationships.
Verification Over Paper Compliance
Superficial self-attested corporate compliance must be replaced by rigorous verification. This requires combining unannounced physical audits with advanced remote tracking technologies, such as satellite monitoring for distant-water fishing fleets.
Enforcement with Real Penalties
To make compliance effective, governments must back due diligence mandates with stringent enforcement mechanisms and real penalties for non-compliant enterprises.
Regulatory systems need to impose severe consequences, including public disclosure of violations, exclusion from public procurement contracts, substantial monetary fines, and potential criminal liability for deliberate negligence.
A Unified Regional Architecture
By combining strict legal accountability with centralized, cross-border risk databases powered by international labor organizations and independent auditors, policy-makers can create a targeted enforcement architecture capable of eradicating forced labor across global supply chains.
Fuente: Tariffs won’t fix Asia-Pacific forced labour – enforcement will | Lowy Institute https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/tariffs-won-t-fix-asia-pacific-forced-labour-enforcement-will