Modern slavery statement

This is placeholder text for a product prototype. It is not legal advice and must be reviewed by qualified counsel before any real use. International Orders is a fictional brand, and the commitments below are illustrative.

Introduction

This statement sets out the steps a business like International Orders would take to understand and reduce the risk of modern slavery and human trafficking in its operations and supply chains. Laws in several countries require larger businesses to publish such a statement each year, approved by their board.

Because International Orders is fictional, the content below shows the expected structure and the kind of commitments involved. It does not describe real actions.

Our business

International Orders is presented as a software and payments company that helps online sellers accept payments, convert currency, calculate duties and pay out across borders. In this scenario, its workforce is mainly office-based and remote staff in technology, operations, compliance, sales and support roles.

Our supply chain

A business of this kind typically buys:

• Cloud hosting and software services.
• Office equipment, including laptops and phones.
• Facilities services such as cleaning, catering and security.
• Professional services, including legal, audit and recruitment.
• Payment network, banking and data services from partners.

Where the risks are

Risk of modern slavery in a software business is generally lower in direct operations and higher in parts of the supply chain. Areas that would be assessed include:

• Hardware manufacturing, where electronics supply chains can include forced labour in component and mineral sourcing.
• Outsourced facilities services, where low-wage and agency labour can be exposed to exploitation.
• Contracted support and operations staff in third-party centres.

Policies

A real statement would refer to policies such as:

• A supplier code of conduct that prohibits forced, bonded and child labour and requires fair pay and working hours.
• A whistleblowing policy that allows staff and suppliers to raise concerns confidentially and without retaliation.
• Recruitment practices that prohibit charging workers fees for employment.
• An acceptable use policy that prohibits merchants from using the platform for activities linked to exploitation.

Due diligence

Illustrative steps include:

• Risk-rating suppliers by sector and country before contracting.
• Including modern slavery clauses in supplier contracts, with rights to audit.
• Asking higher-risk suppliers for evidence of their own controls.
• Monitoring merchants for signs of trafficking or exploitation as part of payment risk controls.

Training

Staff in procurement, compliance, risk and merchant onboarding would receive training on recognising and reporting signs of modern slavery, with refresher training each year.

Measuring effectiveness

A real statement would report measures such as the share of suppliers that have accepted the code of conduct, the number of high-risk suppliers assessed, training completion rates and the outcome of any reports received. No such figures are given here because the company is fictional.

Approval

In a real statement, this section would confirm approval by the board of directors and include a signature and date. It is left blank in this prototype.

Contact

Questions about this statement can be sent to compliance@international-orders.com (placeholder).