Modern Slavery Toolbox
This toolbox helps finance professionals take action on modern slavery with curated tools, reports, podcasts, and guides. Explore by four key themes or use Action Pathways — short, practical sequences that point you toward relevant resources to support common goals like strengthening statements, assessing risk, or engaging companies.
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Using this Toolbox
This toolbox helps you understand and take action on Modern Slavery in financial systems. Whether you’re shaping strategy, meeting governance requirements, or working towards impact, this toolbox brings together curated resources to support your work.
Ways to explore
1. Start with the Overview
Get familiar with the issue, how it appears in financial systems and why it matters.
2. Explore by Theme
Use the four key themes — Strategy, Governance, Frameworks & Metrics, and System Change — to explore curated resources organised by approach. Each theme includes:
- a short description of the theme
- Sustainable Finance Practices related to the theme (SFPs are one of the main taxonomy categories used in the Altiorem library to organise content)
- selected resources from both the Altiorem library and trusted external sources.
3. Explore or follow an Action Pathway
These short, practical sequences bring together key resources to help you take the next step on common goals related to modern slavery in finance.
How Toolboxes are structured
Resources in this toolbox are drawn from across the Altiorem Library and organised using Sustainable Finance Practices (SFPs) — one of the key filters we use to categorise content. These practices represent core areas of sustainable finance such as laws and regulations.
To make toolboxes easy to navigate, we’ve grouped related practices under four broad themes: Strategy, Governance, Frameworks & Metrics, and System Change. This helps you explore the issue from the perspective most relevant to your role — whether you’re focused on integration, compliance, measurement, or long-term impact.
Some practices appear in more than one theme depending on context (see table). We’ve included resources wherever they apply, so you can approach the topic from the angle that best supports your work.
| Sustainable Finance Practice | Where you’ll see it | Why it appears in multiple themes |
|---|---|---|
| Laws and Regulations | Governance System Change |
Covers both internal compliance (e.g. board duties) and external policy reform. |
| Organisational Change | Governance Strategy |
Supports internal structures and strategic alignment for sustainability. |
| Effective Communication and Greenwash | Governance Strategy |
Ensures internal accountability and external transparency. |
Prefer to search the library directly?
You can always go straight to the Altiorem library and search for modern slavery, then filter by a Sustainable Finance Practice to find relevant resources on your own.
Topic overview: Modern Slavery
Modern slavery is a hidden crime that encompasses a range of exploitative practices including slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour and human trafficking (Parliament of Australia, Walk Free, International Labour Organization). Essentially it refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, and/or abuse of power – Walk Free.
There are 50 million people worldwide in modern slavery (2021 statistic from the Global Slavery Index, Walk Free).
Source: Video from International Labour Organization September, 2022
Modern slavery affects individuals across the globe, cutting across various demographic and socio-economic groups. The prevalence of modern slavery is particularly high in regions experiencing conflict, weak governance, and significant migration flows. For instance, countries like India, China, and North Korea have some of the highest numbers of people in modern slavery (Walk Free).
Efforts to combat modern slavery require action from governments, international organisations, businesses, and civil society. We need to collectively advocate for, and enforce, stronger labour laws, social protection and ethical recruitment practices.
“We can do more than cry for the millions of oppressed modern slaves around the world. As free people, it is our duty to use our voices to speak for the voiceless.” – Yeonmi Park
Action pathways
Explore action pathways for practical guidance on common goals. Each one brings together a small set of curated resources to help you move in the right direction.
Have a different goal in mind? Share your goal with us — we periodically add new pathways based on what our members are working on.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” —Martin Luther King, Jr., American civil rights leader
Strategy
Approaches and methodologies for understanding the issue and embedding it into financial decision-making. This includes investment analysis, risk integration, product development, and client advisory practices.
Relevant Sustainable Finance Practices
- Effective Communication and Greenwash
- ESG Strategy, Analysis and Integration
- Issue/Sector Focused Research
- Organisational Change
- Product Development and Trends
- Sustainable Financial Advice and Consulting
Library resources
Research
Bridging ESG silos: The intersection of climate change and modern slavery
➤ Provides practical tools to integrate climate-linked modern slavery risks into ESG analysis and due diligence, including metrics and engagement guidance.
ESG strategy, analysis and integration
➤ Outlines practical steps for integrating modern slavery risks into ESG analysis, investment decision-making, and credit assessments across financial institutions.
Effective communication and greenwash ESG strategy, analysis and integration
➤ Assesses how asset managers are integrating modern slavery risks into ESG practices, including portfolio due diligence, risk assessment, and engagement with investee companies.
ESG strategy, analysis and integration
Good practice toolkit: Strengthening modern slavery responses
➤ Offers step-by-step guidance for embedding modern slavery risk into governance, operations, and ESG systems using maturity models and practical tools.
ESG strategy, analysis and integration Organisational change
RAPID institutional investor guidance framework for the elimination of child labour in supply chains
➤ Designed specifically for institutional investors to embed child labour risk analysis into ESG investment decisions, metrics, and due diligence processes. It offers a structured ESG-aligned methodology (RAPID: Reframe, Agree, Provide, Insist, Develop) to integrate human rights into investment workflows.
ESG strategy, analysis and integration
Financial crime compliance to fight modern slavery and human trafficking
➤ Outlines practical steps for integrating modern slavery risks into ESG analysis, investment decision-making, and credit assessments across financial institutions.
Organisational change
UNEP FI Human Rights Toolkit for financial institutions
➤ Provides practical guidance for financial institutions to embed human rights across governance structures, policies, due diligence, and stakeholder engagement. It supports organisational change and strategic ESG integration while promoting transparency and responsible reporting.
Effective communication and greenwash ESG strategy, analysis and integration Organisational change
Financial services and modern slavery: Practical responses for managing risk to people
➤ Provides financial institutions with practical tools to identify, manage, and integrate modern slavery risks across investment, lending, and governance processes.
ESG strategy, analysis and integration Organisational change
Online tool/databases
FAST connection diagnostic and risk mapping
➤ Aids finance professionals in identifying and mitigating forced labour and human trafficking risks in supply chains. It provides a database of high-risk geographies, practical guidance, and resources to enhance due diligence, enable customised risk assessments, and support responsible investment practices.
Effective communication and greenwash ESG strategy, analysis and integration
➤ A benchmarking tool that assesses how companies address forced labour risks in their supply chains. It supports ESG integration by providing actionable indicators for investment analysis and encourages transparency and ethical practices across sectors.
ESG strategy, analysis and integration
➤ Offers data-driven insights on modern slavery prevalence and risk to support ESG integration, due diligence, and informed investment strategies.
ESG strategy, analysis and integration
Modern slavery benchmarking tool
➤ Provides a practical framework to assess and strengthen modern slavery risk management across operations, supply chains, and investment practices.
ESG strategy, analysis and integration Organisational change
External resources
Webinars
Preventing Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking in the Financial Sector
➤ Explores how financial institutions can integrate modern slavery risk into investment strategy, client due diligence, and governance processes—emphasising strategic influence, prevention, and sector-wide leadership.
ESG strategy, analysis and integration Organisational change
IASC and The Investor Forum event: The role of investors in eradicating modern slavery
➤ Outlines how financial institutions can embed modern slavery risk into ESG strategies, investment practices, and internal systems, with five key recommendations for sector-wide improvement.
ESG strategy, analysis and integration Organisational change
Articles
What I’ve learned from the research on framing of modern slavery
➤ Provides evidence-based guidance on framing modern slavery to improve public understanding, advocacy, and communications strategy.
ESG strategy, analysis and integration Organisational change
Strategy tip: Incorporate modern slavery considerations into your due diligence processes at the beginning of any new business relationships and maintain this diligence ongoing (Pages 30-31, Preventing modern slavery and human trafficking: An agenda for action across the financial services sector).
Governance
Internal systems, responsibilities, and legal obligations that ensure the issue is addressed through oversight, compliance, policy, and organisational change. This includes the role of directors, regulatory frameworks, and internal governance processes.
Relevant Sustainable Finance Practices
- Governance and Directors’ Duties
- Organisational Change
- Laws and Regulations
- Effective Communication and Greenwash
Library resources
Research
Good practice toolkit: Strengthening modern slavery responses
➤ Addresses board-level roles and oversight in managing modern slavery risks within sustainability governance.
Governance and Directors’ Duties
Online tools/databases
FAST connection diagnostic and risk mapping
➤ Aids finance professionals in identifying and mitigating forced labour and human trafficking risks in supply chains. It provides a database of high-risk geographies, practical guidance, and resources to enhance due diligence, enable customised risk assessments, and support responsible investment practices.
Effective communication and greenwash
External resources
Articles
What I’ve learned from the research on framing of modern slavery
➤ Provides evidence-based guidance on framing modern slavery to improve public understanding, advocacy, and communications strategy.
Governance and Directors’ Duties
The expectation of continuous improvement in combating modern slavery
➤ Highlights internal governance improvements to strengthen modern slavery oversight, risk management, and board accountability.
Governance and Directors’ Duties Organisational change
Governance tip: Develop internal oversight and compliance measures that ensure that modern slavery issues are fully integrated into business processes and governance structures, including the roles of directors and regulatory frameworks (Page 6, Good practice toolkit: Strengthening modern slavery responses).
Frameworks and metrics
Voluntary standards, guidance, and measurement tools that support implementation and accountability. This includes KPIs, verification approaches, and frameworks used to assess and report on action to address the issue.
Relevant Sustainable Finance Practices
Resources in this theme are aligned with the following Sustainable Finance Practices from the Altiorem library:
- Industry Standards and Guidance
- Impact Measurement and Verification
Library resources
Research
Modern slavery reporting – Guide for investors
➤ Outlines investor expectations and good practice for modern slavery disclosures, supporting improved reporting and risk oversight across portfolios.
Impact measurement and verification
Online tools/databases
UNEP FI Human Rights Toolkit for financial institutions
➤ Provides financial institutions with a practical framework to integrate human rights into governance, due diligence, and decision-making processes.
Impact measurement and verification
➤ Assesses corporate performance on forced labour risks in supply chains, enabling investors to benchmark companies and inform responsible investment decisions.
Impact measurement and verification
Modern slavery benchmarking tool
➤ Evaluates company policies, risk areas, and practices to identify and address modern slavery, supporting compliance, transparency, and investor decision-making.
Impact measurement and verification
Frameworks and metrics tip: Provide training for staff and management on identifying modern slavery risks and the firm’s policies regarding them to ensure everyone understands their role in mitigation (Pages 14, Modern slavery reporting – Guide for investors).
System change
Collective efforts and structural reforms that tackle the root causes of the issue. This includes systems thinking, advocacy, policy transformation, and economic models that promote long-term, systemic solutions.
Relevant Sustainable Finance Practices
Resources in this theme are aligned with the following Sustainable Finance Practices from the Altiorem library:
- Fixing Financial and Economic Systems
- Stakeholder Engagement and Advocacy
- Laws and Regulations
- Active Ownership
Library resources
Research
Financial services and modern slavery: Practical responses for managing risk to people
➤ Explores how financial systems can shift to prioritise human rights by embedding modern slavery risk into core governance, investment, and lending practices.
Stakeholder Engagement and Advocacy
Modern slavery and remediation – An investor’s guide
➤ Guides investors on engaging companies and collaborating with stakeholders to drive effective remediation and accountability for modern slavery harms.
Active ownership Stakeholder Engagement and Advocacy
Financial crime compliance to fight modern slavery and human trafficking
➤ Explores how financial crime compliance systems can be adapted to detect, prevent, and respond to modern slavery and human trafficking risks across financial operations.
Fixing financial and economic systems
Human rights in global value chains investor toolkit
➤ Equips investors with tools to assess and address human rights risks across global value chains, supporting integration into investment processes and engagement.
Stakeholder Engagement and Advocacy
Online tool/database
➤ Offers data-driven insights on modern slavery prevalence and risk to support ESG integration, due diligence, and informed investment strategies.
Stakeholder Engagement and Advocacy
Fighting modern slavery and human trafficking Part 1
➤ Supports cross-sector expectations by training financial actors in identifying, addressing, and reporting modern slavery risks, aligning institutional practices with human rights standards.
Stakeholder Engagement and Advocacy
External resources
The expectation of continuous improvement in combating modern slavery
➤ Explores evolving legal expectations under modern slavery acts, emphasizing the duty of continuous improvement and reporting compliance.
Laws and regulations
Systems change tip: Engage in multi-stakeholder initiatives that bring together businesses, civil society, and government bodies to share knowledge and address systemic root causes of modern slavery (Pages 21, Modern slavery remediation – An investor’s guide).
