This series of factsheets can be used to help students understand the issue of forced and child labour as part of Australia's global interconnections through trade.
As an introduction to the topic, the 4-page factsheet Forced and child labour is everyone's business explains what forced and child labour is, how Australians can be indirectly involved through their purchasing decisions, and how Australians can take action. It includes information about World Vision's advocacy campaign Don't Trade Lives.
The factsheet Myths about child labour explores some common misconceptions about child labour, and explains how it can impact children and their local economy, and how and why it's important for Australians to participate in responding to the issue.
The other factsheets have information and examples of forced and child labour in the tea, coffee, cocoa, cotton, jewellery, palm oil, seafood, and technology industries. Each factsheet is 6-pages long, and outlines the key facts, the issue in that industry, and what is being done. They also contain simple supply chain diagrams. These would suit small group work, where each group could report back to the class about the issue of forced and child labour in the industry they examined. The small groups could then be reformed, with a 'representative' from each industry, to consider the global interconnections from trade, and the social, economic, and environmental impacts.