Combatting Modern Slavery in Global Supply Chains with Associate Professor Vikram Bhakoo

Ever wonder who catches the tuna you eat and their working conditions? Research in the Thai seafood industry has found that the fishermen who catch and process the fish that we eat are subject to extreme exploitation. This could range from deceitful recruitment practices, debt bondage, forced labour and physical-verbal abuse. We call this: “Modern Slavery”. Modern Slavery is a global problem – in the seafood industry, but also fashion, construction, horticulture and more! Through in-depth case studies and influencing legislation, we’re getting companies to look deeper and more responsibly into their supply chains, and helping to shift a welcome move toward slavery-free practices. This video is an award-winning entry in the Reel Impact Prize 2023 initiative at the University of Melbourne, which aims to encourage innovative research translation by challenging researchers at the University of Melbourne to present their research impact as either a 60-second engaging video or a visual storyboard that describes their research and the impact it has had within society to a non-specialist audience. Winning entries can each receive $8,000 to collaborate with their choice of professional media storyteller to create a novel type of creative output to highlight the impact that has been achieved through their research. Reel Impact is open to all current Academic staff members of the University of Melbourne, and entries are accepted from individual researchers or project teams. Submissions to this year’s prize are currently open and close on Monday 2 September 2024.