LONDON, Oct. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, is supporting Anti-Slavery Day in the United Kingdom and calling for organizations around the world to recognize the urgent need to take action in order to eliminate human trafficking and all forms of forced labor.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110330/CG73938LOGO-a)

Human trafficking is the second-largest and fastest-growing illegal industry in the world behind the drugs trade, with an estimated 27 million people — half of them children — trafficked every year and it is an industry that generates $30 billion annually. Today, slavery takes various forms and affects people of all ages, sex and race, while around the world products are being made using child labor or forced labor such as cotton, leather goods, tobacco, rubber and cocoa.

"Getting the message out about modern-day slavery is critical because big corporations are not always aware that it is a burning issue. Often we go to Fortune 500 companies and their response is, 'modern day slavery, human trafficking, what problem?'" explained David Arkless, ManpowerGroup President of Corporate and Government Affairs, President of the Global End Human Trafficking Now! Campaign, and ambassador for the UK's Centre for Social Justice and an Advisor on their Anti-Slavery Report.

"We are committed to putting an end to human trafficking, and on UK Anti-Slavery Day we are calling for other responsible organizations to join the fight," added Arkless. The onus is on employers to ensure their products are ethically sourced and if businesses ensure their suppliers sign up to the same standards of responsible business, the cumulative effect becomes massive."

ManpowerGroup is helping advance the fight against human trafficking globally in collaboration with several anti-trafficking organizations. The company has collaborated with the Not For Sale Campaign to develop community activism in order to fight enabling environments for human trafficking, and to promote consumer awareness and vigilance about forced labor in the manufacturing of consumer products.

In addition to raising the profile of the issue, ManpowerGroup is also focused on prevention and has entered into numerous joint ventures to provide trafficked and at-risk persons with access to education and training to help them transition to decent, honorable work. Last month, ManpowerGroup joined forces with leading nonprofit organization Second Chance Employment Services to help battered and trafficked women re-enter the workforce. ManpowerGroup was also the first company to sign the Athens Ethical Principles, which has a zero tolerance policy on working with any entity associated, in any way, with human trafficking.

ManpowerGroup has teamed up with anti-trafficking organization Sport Against Trafficking to become the lead sponsor of its Row For Freedom campaign that is shining a spotlight on the issue through the determination of six ordinary women who will row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to raise money for charities that support the victims of human trafficking. Traveling from The Canary Islands to Barbados on a route previously used as part of the Atlantic slave trade, the team will row 24 hours a day — two hours on, two hours off — for an estimated 40 days. Around the world, ManpowerGroup leverages its extensive network of services, including training programs, expertise and resources to provide a bridge to sustainable employment.

About ManpowerGroup

ManpowerGroup™ (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, creates and delivers high-impact solutions that enable our clients to achieve their business goals and enhance their competitiveness. With over 60 years of experience, our $22 billion company creates unique time to value through a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions that help clients win in the Human Age. These solutions cover an entire range of talent-driven needs from recruitment and assessment, training and development, and career management, to outsourcing and workforce consulting. ManpowerGroup maintains the world's largest and industry-leading network of nearly 3,900 offices in over 80 countries and territories, generating a dynamic mix of an unmatched global footprint with valuable insight and local expertise to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, across all industry sectors, small and medium-sized enterprises, local, multinational and global companies. By connecting our deep understanding of human potential to the ambitions of clients, ManpowerGroup helps the organizations and individuals we serve achieve more than they imagined — because their success leads to our success. And by creating these powerful connections, we create power that drives organizations forward, accelerates personal success and builds more sustainable communities. We help power the world of work. The ManpowerGroup suite of solutions is offered through ManpowerGroup™ Solutions, Manpower®, Experis™ and Right Management®. Learn more about how the ManpowerGroup can help you win in the Human Age at www.manpowergroup.com.

ManpowerGroup is the most trusted brand in the industry, being the only company in our industry to be named to the Ethisphere Institute's 2011 World's Most Ethical Companies list for our proven commitment to ethical business practices, including an outstanding commitment to ethical leadership, compliance practices and corporate social responsibility. In addition, ManpowerGroup has also been recognized as the industry leader by Fortune magazine, who named the company in first place on its 2011 list of the Most Admired Companies in the temporary help sector.

In January 2011, at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, ManpowerGroup announced the world has entered the Human Age, where talent has replaced capital as the key competitive differentiator. Learn more about this new age at www.manpowergroup.com/humanage

Gain access to ManpowerGroup's extensive thought leadership papers, annual Talent Shortage surveys and the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, one of the most trusted indices of employment activity in the world, via the ManpowerGroup World of Work Insight iPad application. This thought leadership app explores the challenges faced by employers navigating the changing world of work and provides in-depth commentary, analysis, insight and advice on strategies for success.  

Follow ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres on Twitter: twitter.com/manpowergroupjj. Joerres is one of only six Fortune 500 CEOs who leverages a Twitter account to get his message out.

SOURCE ManpowerGroup