This webinar examined the effectiveness of forced labor import bans as tools for corporate behavior change. The discussion addressed recent academic debate sparked by Professor Judy Fudge’s critique that trade restrictions may harm workers by forcing exploitative firms to close without providing safety nets, countered by human rights attorneys Anasuya Syam and Martina Vandenberg’s argument that import bans effectively push companies toward supply chain remediation.

This webinar “Faith Leadership and Missions” is a part of a monthly series commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Palermo Protocol. The panel explored how faith-based organizations are adapting their approaches to combat modern slavery in an increasingly complex global landscape

The webinar opened with stark images of textile waste across the globe—from the Atacama Desert’s clothing dumps to Ghana’s role as a major destination for discarded apparel. The panelists emphasized that this represents massive overproduction driven not by consumer demand, but by economic strategy.

The panel opened with a fundamental challenge facing anti-trafficking organizations: how to strategically allocate limited resources when faced with overwhelming need.