The aim of the European project is to raise awareness, foster corporate responsibility, and encourage companies to get involved in the fight against human trafficking, particularly within the value chains of the products they develop or the services they use.
The Samilia Foundation has observed companies’ willingness to pursue a more ethical and socially responsible path, as well as their need for practical tools to combat this modern form of slavery.
As part of this effort to raise corporate awareness, the Samilia Foundation has been awarded a European project entitled Comprehensive Corporate Toolkit to Address Demand for Human Trafficking.
The objectives of this project are threefold:
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To raise companies’ awareness of the risk of slavery in their value chains;
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To encourage companies to develop responsible practices, from raw materials to finished products;
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To promote social inclusion programs for former victims of trafficking by offering them training and stable employment, while supporting companies in these initiatives.
To this end, the Foundation, in collaboration with Not For Sale, an NGO based in Amsterdam, has developed the following tools:
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An online tool to raise awareness among company employees;
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A cross-analysis of companies’ needs regarding social inclusion;
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Guidelines for positive and successful social inclusion of victims within the company;
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Ethical guidelines for production chains;
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A video raising awareness of human trafficking;
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A website compiling all these tools.
The social inclusion project was launched with the Delhaize group in Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece. This project aims to develop professional integration programs for victims of human trafficking or potential victims (women at high risk) within stores, with the support and collaboration of local NGOs monitoring the candidates: Mega Image (Bucharest), Picadilly (Sofia), and Alpha Beta (Thessaloniki), all three belonging to the Delhaize group. Delhaize Serbia has also shown interest in developing similar programs in its stores.
Delhaize Europe has been confronted with the issue of human trafficking and is working with the Samilia Foundation to implement awareness and information workshops for their store staff in the Balkans. The workshops take place in Belgium, Romania, and Greece, bringing together dozens of nationalities.
In 2016, the Samilia Foundation and Not For Sale launched the online awareness tool designed to inform employees about human trafficking. Initially, this online training was completed by a thousand Delhaize employees. The training is now accessible to other companies and individuals. Employees from Interparking’s Brussels headquarters have also participated.
Guideline-1-for-Social-Inclusion-of-Survivors-of-HT
Comprehensive Corporate Toolkit for Addressing Demand of Human Trafficking
Awareness tools / Tools for raising awareness
