, Columnist
How Not to Fight Modern-Day Slavery
A proposed law to combat the worldwide exploitation of labor may end up making it worse.
What about those supply chains?
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The Slave-Free Business Certification Act of 2020, introduced last week by Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, sounds unobjectionable, maybe even worthy. As the U.S. engages in a worthwhile and necessary reassessment of the role of slavery in its history, the bill would force large companies to investigate and report on forced labor in their supply chains.
In fact, the net effect of the bill — contrary to its stated intent — might be to increase slavery worldwide.