A recent report released by international human rights group headed by Grace Forrest, Walk Free, shows, only 65 per cent garment companies in Australia disclose their initiatives on modern slavery.

Only 31 per cent of apparel companies in Australia and their respective statements meet the minimum approval requirements and reporting criteria. Similarly, only 61 per cent of luxury companies are transparent their approach to modern slavery.

Workers are bearing the losses induced by COVID-19 in the form of wage cuts and cancelled contracts. On the other hand, they are being forced to work for extended hours without any protection against COVID-19.

In line with Australia's Modern Slavery Act, companies across all sectors are required to provide statements on how they are actively addressing the issue of modern slavery.

In 2021, Walk Free along with Wiki Rate and a handful of academics from ANU, Nottingham University, Columbia University, and The University of Connecticut, reviewed the statements of garment companies to find out if they meet the basic requirements of current legislation

Around 43 per cent of companies failed to take affirmative action to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the supply chain and their workers, the report shows.