To the Editor: Nearly all industries profit from today's 25 million slaves and 150 million child labourers.1 The results of their work, including medical disposables, are sold worldwide. Unfortunately, there is not a comprehensive analysis identifying exactly where slaves are involved in the medical products supply chain.
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- 1. International Labour Organization. Modern slavery and child labour: 40 million in modern slavery and 152 million in child labour around the world. International Labour Organization, 2017. https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_574717/lang-en/index.htm (viewed June 2019).
- 2. Bhutta MF. Time for a global response to labour rights violations in the manufacture of health‐care goods. Bull World Health Organ 2017; 95: 314–314A.
- 3. Bureau of International Labor Affairs. US Department of Labor's 2018 list of goods produced by child labor or forced labor. US Department of Labor, 2018. https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ILAB/ListofGoods.pdf (viewed June 2019).
- 4. Khadem N. Ansell says worker rights abuse in its supply chain under investigation. ABC News 2019, 11 Mar. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-04/ansell-investigating-claims-worker-rights-abuse-in-supply-chain/10685124 (viewed June 2019).
- 5. Boersma M. Do no harm? Procurement of medical goods by Australian companies and government. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, Australia Institute, 2017. http://www.anmf.org.au/documents/Do_No_Harm_Report.pdf (viewed June 2019).
- 6. Nestlé. Tackling child labour — 2017 report. Nestlé, 2017. https://www.nestle.com/asset-library/documents/creating-shared-value/responsible-sourcing/nestle-cocoa-plan-child-labour-2017-report.pdf (viewed June 2019).
- 7. King B, Payne C, Melsom R. The tobacco free portfolios story [website]. Tobacco Free Portfolios, 2019. www.tobaccofreeportfolios.org/who-we-are/ (viewed Oct 2019).
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