Protecting people with communication disability from modern slavery: Supporting Sustainable Development Goals 8 and 16

Abstract

Purpose

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development identifies the need for inclusive societies and justice for people who experience, or are at risk of experiencing, modern slavery. The primary objective of this commentary paper is to consider current research and practice in relation to the protection of people with communication disability from modern slavery. The paper considers the role of SLPs in developing and disseminating accessible information to help achieve decent work and economic growth (SDG 8) and peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16).

Result

This paper considers five areas for protecting people with communication disability from modern slavery: (1) accessible information, (2) advocacy, (3) rights-based approaches, (4) improved understanding about access to services, and (5) education. Practice examples are discussed across each of these areas, with a focus on accessible information.

Conclusion

This commentary asserts that information about modern slavery must be accessible so that people with communication disability experience inclusion, safety, and justice. SLPs are well placed to implement communication strategies, such as accessible information, to help protect people with communication disability from modern slavery. This commentary paper focuses on SDG 8 and SDG 16 and also addresses SDG 1, SDG 3, SDG 4 and SDG 10.

Keywords:

• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• communication disability
• modern slavery
• accessible information
• speech-language pathology
• decent work and economic growth (SDG 8)
• peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16)

Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2015b) comprises seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are “integrated and indivisible, global in nature and universally applicable” (United Nations, 2015b, p. 16) to support health, education, economic growth, and environmental sustainability. This paper considers the SDGs in relation to protecting people with communication disability from modern slavery.

Modern slavery

Modern slavery is an umbrella term used to describe the severe exploitation of a person for personal or commercial gain (Anti-slavery Australia, n.d.). Human trafficking, sex trafficking, forced marriage, and forced labour are examples of modern slavery (Anti-slavery Australia, n.d.). It is estimated that globally, 40.3 million people live in modern slavery, including 15 000 people in Australia (Global Slavery Index, 2018). Almost three quarters (71%) of people experiencing modern slavery are women and girls (Global Slavery Index, 2018). Due to the clandestine nature of modern slavery, it is likely there are many more victims in Australia than are accounted for (Anti-slavery Australia, n.d.). Modern slavery is often described as “hidden in plain sight” (Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs & Defence & Trade, 2017, p. xi) because modern slavery taints products and services that we purchase and engage with every day (Walk Free Foundation, 2018). The relationship between modern slavery and the SDGs is shown in Table I.

Table I. Relationship between Sustainable Development Goals and modern slavery.

Sustainable Development Goal	Connection to modern slavery
No poverty (SDG 1)	Poverty is a driver of modern slavery, as marginalised and vulnerable individuals are at an increased risk of being subject to abuse. Poverty can also act as a barrier, preventing people from migrating to find legitimate work.
Good health and well-being (SDG 3)	Modern slavery practices are inherently detrimental to the mental and physical health of victims and survivors. A person’s wellbeing is significantly impacted when trapped in a situation of modern slavery.
Quality education (SDG 4)	When children – predominantly girls – are forced to marry, their access to education is often restricted. Similarly, children in forced labour do not have access to an education, which not only violates their right to education but also impacts their ability to leave situations of forced labour.
Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8)	SDG 8 explicitly addresses modern slavery, including forced labour and human trafficking. Target 8.7 calls for immediate and effective action taken to eradicate these types of modern slavery and eliminate the worst forms of child labour.
Reduced inequalities (SDG 10)	Inequalities among individuals and groups within countries, and inequalities between countries, contribute to conditions that enable modern slavery practices to proliferate.
Peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16)	Target 16.2 explicitly identifies the need to “end abuse, exploitation and trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children” (United Nations, 2015a).

SDG icons used with permission https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/. The content of this publication has not been approved by the United Nations and does not reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States.

Legislative context

In Australia, the Modern Slavery Act 2018 requires certain entities, “to report on the risks of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains and actions to address those risks” (Australian Government, 2018, p. 1). Entities that meet a certain threshold must report on their organisational risks and approaches to combatting modern slavery in an annual Modern Slavery Statement. For example, in their 2020/21 statement, The Benevolent Society recognises that some clients are at an increased risk of modern slavery, noting that: “perpetrators behind modern slavery have a tendency to target people who are vulnerable individuals and who may find themselves in vulnerable situations more frequently than other members of society” (The Benevolent Society, 2021, p. 11).

Modern slavery and communication disability

Vulnerable groups are more susceptible to modern slavery (Anti-slavery Australia, n.d.). People with communication disability are at risk due to vulnerabilities associated with communication difficulties and compounding factors such as poverty and abuse (Centre for Social Justice, 2022). Other risk factors include reduction in civil and political protections; limited social, health, and economic rights; lack of personal security and protection; and presence of conflict and terrorism (Larsen & Durganna, 2017; Walk Free Foundation, 2018). Given the intersectionality of gender-based and disability-based vulnerabilities (Palusci et al., 2015), it follows that women with communication disability are at increased risk of modern slavery.

To support the realisation of the SDGs, this commentary explores five approaches to combatting modern slavery: (1) accessible information, (2) advocacy, (3) rights-based approaches, (4) improved understanding about access to services, and (5) education. The latter four of these approaches were identified by Dando et al. (2019) who focussed on Albanian women who were survivors of sex trafficking seeking access to health care in the United Kingdom. The communication issues faced in this context were cultural and linguistic barriers, including navigating a healthcare system from a position of disempowerment, and English as a second language. Given communication difficulties heighten a person’s vulnerability to exploitation (Palusci et al., 2015), parallels can be drawn in applying these approaches with people with communication disability.

Accessible information

Accessible information is the “supportive process of making information easier for people” (Baker et al., 2010, p. 26). The process firstly involves simplifying the message, and secondly communicating the message using a form of communication the person understands (Baker et al., 2010; Chinn & Homeyard, 2017). This may include Easy Read information, which uses pictures to support the simplified text, and/or involving people with communication disability as authors or consultants (Chinn & Homeyard, 2017).

Accessible information is explored throughout this commentary paper, in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Article 9 (Accessibility), which requires “appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equal basis with others…to information and communications” (United Nations, 2006, p. 10). In the context of protecting people with communication disability from modern slavery, information about modern slavery must be delivered in accessible formats that are meaningful to the individual, and which support the person with communication disability to identify, disclose, and report their experiences.

Advocacy

Advocacy is an important factor in addressing health inequalities for survivors of modern slavery (Dando et al., 2019). Dando et al. (2019) found that survivors of modern slavery who were initially refused health treatment were later able to access supports with the help of someone acting on their behalf. Having accessible information available may empower the person with communication disability to advocate for themselves, given accessible information is a “conduit” for participation and decision-making (Newman et al., 2022, p. 231). McCormack et al. (2018) assert that listening to people with communication disability is core to the clinical work of SLPs and health professionals, and that providing a means of communciation (a voice) is only part of their role. This can be considered an extension of Lundy’s 2007 Framework (Lundy, 2007), which proposes that to uphold the rights of the child, educators must provide appropriate space, an audience, and the power to influence (McCormack et al., 2018; Lundy, 2007). By extension, those factors enable human rights across the lifespan.

One way to help identify and advocate for modern slavery survivors is by following routine safeguarding practices (Bird, 2017); however, Yates (2020) reports that 57% of modern slavery survivors are not routinely asked health assessment questions in relation to trafficking or abuse. Further, questions need to be asked in an environment that fosters safety, and with a focus on person-centered (or patient-centred) care (Kwame & Petrucka, 2021). For people with communication disability, this may include access to accessible information with the support of a skilled communication partner.

Rights-based approaches

In Australia, The Modern Slavery Act 2018 asserts the need for “business transparency” with regards to supply chains but does not require entities to address the rights-based issues of clients and consumers that place them at risk of modern slavery (Gardner, Northall, & Brewster, 2021). In their review of modern slavery in the health services sector, KPMG and the Australian Human Rights Commission (2021) noted that in regards to risk management, human rights due diligence and traditional due diligence differ because “human rights due diligence focuses on risks to people rather than risks to the business” (KPMG & Australian Human Rights Commission, 2021). SLPs and healthcare workers have a duty of care to identify person-focussed risks, and to respond accordingly.

As described by International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) fellow, Juan Bornman in Buekelman et al. (2016, p. 235): “Communication represents an essential and very important human need as well as a basic human right.” The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (United Nations, 2006) affirms that people with disability have human rights, and that adaptations must be made to support people with disability to claim their rights. Marshall and Barrett (2018) provide examples of good practice in making adaptations, such as providing sign interpreters and picture-based communication aids during consultations with survivors. Ensuring communication supports are consistently available can help create an environment where survivors are safe to disclose (Ballan & Freyer, 2019), noting that up to 85% of survivors of human trafficking do not feel safe to ask for help (Yates, 2020).

Improved understanding about access to services

Like advocacy and rights-based approaches, improved understanding about access to services is contingent on having information available to survivors of modern slavery in formats they can understand. This includes providing information in Plain or Easy English and creating safe environments to talk about referral options (Ballan & Freyer, 2019). An example is Anti-slavery Australia’s My Blue Sky website, which includes an animated video developed by NSPCC (UK) to support young women to understand the illegality of forced marriage and how they can seek help (My Blue Sky, n.d.).

Education

Healthcare staff require education about modern slavery, the signs and symptoms of trafficking, and the regulations that govern equitable access to healthcare by survivors (Dando et al., 2019). In Australia, healthcare workers are governed by international human rights conventions and various federal and state-based legislation (KPMG & Australian Human Rights Commission, 2021). With regards to the Modern Slavery Act 2018, although only healthcare entities that meet the threshold are required to report, it is considered “good practice” for smaller entities to consider their impact and voluntarily report (KPMG & Australian Human Rights Commission, 2021, p. 10). Further, it is good practice for healthcare entities to demonstrate their commitment to combatting modern slavery by training their staff in recognising and responding to modern slavery risks (KPMG & Australian Human Rights Commission, 2021). Lisa McDonald, Group Mission Leader at St Vincent’s Health Australia, refers to the important position of healthcare workers to support survivors of modern slavery, saying: “we have a unique window of opportunity to not only address their health care needs, but to invite an organisational response in a way that might bring wider hope and transformation” (KPMG & Australian Human Rights Commission, 2021, p. 45).

Education of healthcare workers is a key element of organisational responses to modern slavery risk, and one which has implications for people with communication disability. By educating speech-language pathologists and the broader health and social care workforce about the risks of modern slavery, they are better positioned to identify and respond to modern slavery survivors and create safety in disclosure (Dando et al., 2019). The desire to create a supportive and safe culture within healthcare settings is in contrast with the perceived experiences of modern slavery survivors, which have been found to be, “negative, frustrating, unfair and unprofessional” (Dando et al., 2019, p. 686).

In practice, a supportive and safe culture includes providing access to information in accessible formats (Ballan & Freyer, 2019). Practical examples of providing information in accessible formats include providing Easy Read versions of modern slavery statements (e.g. The Benevolent Society, 2021), disseminating Easy Read feedback and complaints forms (e.g. The Benevolent Society, n.d.), and applying the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (Australian Human Rights Commission, n.d.).

Summary and conclusion

Dando et al.’s (2019) approaches to addressing the health inequalities of survivors of modern slavery are applicable to addressing risks of modern slavery for people with communication disability. Advocacy, rights-based approaches, improved understanding about access to services, and education can be addressed, at least in part, through the application of accessible information. SLPs have a role in the creation, implementation, and dissemination of accessible information to protect people with communication disability from modern slavery. This includes the delivery of information about modern slavery in accessible formats and creating safe, supportive environments to listen to people with communication disability share their experiences. Continued development of accessible information in healthcare will help to achieve SGD 8 and SGD 16, address SDG 1, SDG 3, SDG 4, and SDG 10, and meet the needs of vulnerable persons within inclusive societies (United Nations, 2015a).

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the support of Claudia Lennon, Elaine Leong, and colleagues in the preparation of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.