Forced Labor Common in Producing Bricks, Timber

Construction is one of the primary industries fueling modern slavery, according to a recent report by LexusNexus Business Information Services, a U.K.-based company that provides due diligence services. The report documents human rights violations involving construction workers as well as violations in the building material supply chain.

The report calls on contractors to demand transparency in the labor value chain and on architects to avoid sourcing products from regions that are known to exploit workers for the production of certain materials. Resources are provided that offer guidance on how, but compared to what’s been developed in other countries, tools targeting the U.S. market lag behind.