Why ethical audits can miss modern slavery
A clean ethical audit cannot rule out modern slavery: records may be falsified and workers pressured to hide exploitation. Supplement the report with safe worker conversations, recruitment checks and reporting channels workers can trust. Cambridge China Bridge coordinates factory checks through its own staff in China.
What a clean report leaves unanswered
The Home Office guidance warns that suppliers may present fake records and coach or pressurise workers to mislead auditors. A report with no recorded findings therefore does not establish that workers are free from coercion. Ask what evidence was examined, which workers were heard and what access was refused.
Our ethical-audit guide explains scheme selection and corrective actions. This guide addresses the remaining gap: whether workers can safely describe what happens beyond the prepared records and factory tour.
Brief the auditor to hear workers safely
The Home Office recommends supplementing audits with worker-centred practices and engagement with worker representatives, including trade unions. It also recommends auditors who understand the workforce's language and local risks, and considering whether an unannounced visit would give a more accurate picture. These are guidance recommendations, rather than a universal audit booking requirement.
Ask the provider about forced-labour expertise and how it includes agency, temporary and migrant workers. Agree private conversations without supervisors choosing answers or listening. Before collecting sensitive accounts, establish who can access them, how identities will be protected and how workers can be contacted safely afterwards.
Follow recruitment as well as production
Ask workers how they obtained the job, whether they paid a recruiter, borrowed money to start work or receive unexplained wage deductions. Ask whether they can access their identity documents, leave accommodation and end employment without threats. Compare accounts with recruitment agreements and payroll records where workers can safely share them. Treat discrepancies as reasons to investigate, rather than proof by themselves.
Identify the labour agencies and brokers behind the workforce, alongside the workshops behind your goods. The factory-audit checklist covers production capability and subcontracting; add a separate record of who recruits workers, who pays them and which recruitment arrangements remain unverified.
Check whether reporting channels actually work
The Home Office recommends multiple ways for workers to raise concerns, including anonymous reporting in a language they understand. It also recommends assessing effectiveness with senior leadership and worker representative organisations. A complaints box or telephone number alone tells you little about whether people can use it safely.
Ask workers how they would report a withheld wage or threat, who receives the complaint and whether management could identify them. Check access for agency workers and workers without a smartphone. Agree a response owner, confidential handling and protection against retaliation. No complaints may mean workers do not trust the channel.
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Respond to concerns and verify the outcome
If an account suggests coercion, avoid confronting a supervisor with details that identify the worker. Seek specialist support and agree protective action before wider disclosure. The Home Office advises centring affected workers in remediation and warns that ending a supplier contract can sometimes increase their vulnerability. Do not treat immediate cancellation as the automatic remedy.
Keep a restricted record of concerns, unresolved evidence, action owners and follow-up findings. Verify improvement through safe worker feedback, rather than accepting revised paperwork alone. Record separately whether the buyer approves continued ordering. Cambridge China Bridge's China staff can follow up factory actions; specialist worker protection needs appropriately qualified support.
Frequently asked questions
Does a clean ethical audit prove there is no slavery?
No. Falsified records and pressured workers can conceal exploitation. Treat the report as evidence within its scope, then check recruitment, worker experiences and safe reporting.
Should I request an unannounced factory audit?
Consider it with a specialist auditor. The Home Office recommends assessing whether it would give a more accurate picture. It still needs safe worker engagement and follow-up.
What should I ask factory workers?
Ask how they were recruited, whether they paid fees, how wages and deductions work, whether they control their documents and how they can leave or report concerns. Arrange safe, private conversations.
Should I stop buying if exploitation is suspected?
Seek specialist advice and prioritise worker safety. Decide on protective action and ordering separately. Abrupt contract termination can sometimes make affected workers more vulnerable.