Opaque Transparency: Why California’s Supply Chain Transparency Act is Unenforceable

Authors

  • Benjamin Thomas Greer

Keywords:

Human trafficking, supply chain transparency, California Forced Labor, SB657, Tráfico de personas, transparencia de la cadena de suministro, trabajo forzado en California

Abstract

Traffickers are dynamic, fluid operators; reacting well to consumer demand, under-regulated economic sectors, and easily adapting to exploit weaknesses in prevailing laws. Corporate globalization of storefronts and extensive manufacturing supply chains have contributed to human trafficking becoming the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world. California’s legislative and social experiments are often models other governments look to for guidance. California is the first government to require businesses to disclose their anti-trafficking supply chain policies to their consumers. Under the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010 (CATSCA), large retailer sellers must conspicuously disclose on their web site their policies, if any, to detect and fight slave labor within their supply chain. This article explores the requirements of the CATSCA and will examine the legal effectiveness of the California transparency framework.

Los traficantes son agentes dinámicos, de gran fluidez: reaccionan bien a la demanda de los consumidores y a los sectores económicos sin regular, y se adaptan fácilmente para explotar las debilidades de las leyes vigentes. La globalización corporativa de los comercios y de las grandes cadenas de suministro ha contribuido a que el tráfico de personas se haya convertido en el negocio criminal de crecimiento más rápido en el mundo. El gobierno de California ha sido el primero en exigir que los negocios revelen a sus clientes su política anti-tráfico. El llamado California Transparency in Supply Chains Act (CATSCA), de 2010, obliga a los mayoristas a publicar en sus sitios web, de forma preeminente, las políticas que siguen - caso de que las tengan - para detectar y combatir el trabajo en esclavitud dentro de su cadena de suministro. Este artículo explora los requisitos del CATSCA y examina la efectividad legal de las normas sobre transparencia de California.

Available from: https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-0925

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
Views 452
Downloads:
PDF 533


Downloads

Published

13-06-2017

How to Cite

Greer, B. T. (2017) “Opaque Transparency: Why California’s Supply Chain Transparency Act is Unenforceable”, Oñati Socio-Legal Series, 8(1), pp. 32–49. Available at: https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/899 (Accessed: 21 November 2024).

Issue

Section

Trafficking for the Purpose of Labour Exploitation