Seabased Supports Elimination of Child Labor AND MODERN SLAVERY

2021 was the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labor. It was declared so by a UN resolution - and it was a tragically fitting year for such a declaration since, for the first time in decades, child labor exploitation is on the rise.

Since 2000, more than 100 million children have been freed from forced labor through the actions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and governments. Yet according to UNICEF, nearly 1 in 10 children worldwide - more than 152 million – are still exploited for agriculture, in services, and in industry. About half of these labor roles threaten the children’s health and lives. And COVID-19 has exacerbated the problem. The number of child laborers, which has declined by about 38% over the last 20 years, began to climb as schools closed and children were put under pressure to contribute to shrinking household incomes. 

Companies like Seabased that source materials worldwide have a role to play in addressing labor practices that can destroy children’s lives. We can work with a variety of public and private stakeholders, including governments, to end child labor. This goes further than doing our best to proactively ensure that no child labor is used to extract or provide the materials we purchase.

“A simple ban on child labor is a good start, but it does not do much to solve the underlying issues that cause child labor – such as extreme poverty,” said Marcelle Askew, Seabased VP Business Development. “We need to be aware of the needs of the communities in which we operate, and work with a variety of public and private stakeholders to encourage the welfare of their children. Otherwise we are just solving a PR problem, not a child labor problem.”

According to guidance from the ILO there are many steps companies can take to avoid building child labor into their supply chains or their hiring practices.

Seabased has adopted a values statement on this issue and related issues of slavery and human trafficking that we require all our suppliers and vendors to embrace.

Seabased’s Zero Tolerance Approach to Child Labor, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking

Treating all human beings with decency is integral to Seabased and we have a zero-tolerance approach to child labor, modern slavery and human trafficking of all types. We expect all our employees, suppliers, and business partners to honor these values by:

 • Upholding and respecting human rights in all our operations and facilities;

• Prohibiting the use of child, forced, indentured or involuntary labor in any of our operations;

• Promoting the health and safety of our employees and partners everywhere;

• Ensuring compliance with fair wage and hour laws in all Seabased operations; and

• Not knowingly conducting business with any supplier or business partner who violates these standards and immediately terminating any business dealings with such supplier or business partner should they not comply with them.

“When we are sourcing commodities, we can make sure we’re working with companies who are committed to be compliant to a reputable reporting scheme,” said Heidi Ødegården, Supply Chain Director. “It’s basically about what we prohibit. But when Seabased directly sources large quantities of materials from a region, we need to do more; we need to be proactive about working with the region to make sure our presence is a net win for the community, including the children which are its future.”

UN SGD 8 includes a target, known as target 8.7, which calls on all communities and organizations to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of all forms of child labor as an essential step to achieving decent work for all, full and productive employment and inclusive and sustained economic growth.

Seabased’s mission is to provide utility-scale, CO2-free, stable ocean energy in a way that protects the planet and benefits people. We can only do so by fully committing to stand in support of the communities where we work; stand against child labor and other kinds of forced labor; and affirm the right to health and dignity of everyone we engage with.