Addressing Modern Slavery
Modern slavery describes serious human rights abuses such as debt bondage, forced labour, forced marriage, human trafficking or the worst forms of child labour. These practices are based on exploitation and are crimes under Australian law. UNSW recognises its responsibility to protect human rights and is committed to the creation of a just and equal society where social impacts are enhanced in Australia and around the world.
How is UNSW addressing modern slavery?
Modern slavery is a global threat to human rights with an estimated 49.6 million people living in modern slavery in 2021.1In 2023, we established a Modern Slavery Strategy to strengthen our approach and continue delivering positive human rights outcomes. The Strategy is coordinated by our Legal & Compliance Office and brings together experts from across Strategic Procurement, Conduct & Integrity, Risk, Human Resources, IT, Estate Management, Investments, Research Services, Governance, the Australian Human Rights Institute and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The Strategy is informed by a detailed Action Plan across three strategic areas:
| Strong Governance and Effectiveness | Embedded Risk Management | Remediation and Reporting |
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Our annual modern slavery statements are prepared in accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth). Our latest statement describes our progress against the Strategy including actions we have implemented to identify and mitigate modern slavery risks in our supply chain and operations.
1 International Labour Organisation, Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage, September 2022.
Support services
In an emergency, dial triple zero (000). If you are on campus, call Campus Security on 02 9385 6666 (UNSW Sydney) or 02 6265 7275 (UNSW Canberra).
If you experience or see anything that doesn’t seem right, we want to hear about it. Speaking up allows us to understand your concerns, take necessary action and help you find the support you need. You can raise an issue about modern slavery or report an incident through our complaints management system. If you require mental health support, UNSW also provides short-term and confidential counselling for currently enrolled students through the Psychology & Wellness team.
Supplier Charter
In 2020, UNSW’s first Supplier Charter became available to all UNSW staff to utilise when engaging and managing suppliers. The Charter clearly sets out the University’s expectations of its suppliers and its commitment to work collaboratively with its suppliers in identifying modern slavery risks.
The 2024 Supplier Charter can be viewed using the link below:
