Digital Technologies for Combating Unethical Labour Practices and Promoting Human Rights

Éditeurs invités

• Stefan Gold, Technical University of Munich
• Antoine Harfouche, Paris Nanterre University
• Paul Jones, Swansea University
• Maryam Lotfi, Cardiff University
• Guoqing Zhao, Swansea University

Synthèse

An estimated 50 million people worldwide experience unethical labour practices, with numbers expected to rise due to regional conflicts and restrictive migration policies. While digital technologies such as blockchain, AI, and cloud computing offer potential solutions for monitoring and addressing these practices, research in this area remains limited. This special issue seeks to understand how digital technologies can theoretically and empirically be deployed to monitor, detect, report, and remediate unethical labour practices.

The special issue welcomes original research using various methodologies that examines the relationship between digital technologies and unethical labour practices. Submissions should identify specific technologies examined and move beyond surface-level analysis to provide nuanced insights. The collection particularly encourages studies that challenge existing paradigms, explore underexamined aspects, or propose innovative frameworks for leveraging digital solutions to advance ethical and sustainable societies while informing policymakers, business leaders, and practitioners.

Thèmes proposés

• Role of digital technologies (blockchain, AI, cloud computing, IoT, big data analytics, virtual and augmented reality) in monitoring and detecting unethical labour practices
• Application of digital technologies to address modern slavery, human trafficking, forced labour, and other forms of labour exploitation
• Digital technologies for reporting and remediating unethical labour practices in supply chains
• Use of machine learning and AI for identifying trafficking patterns and at-risk populations
• Blockchain applications for tracking labour exploitation in global supply chains
• Digital technologies for social inclusion and reintegration of survivors of modern slavery
• Biometric recognition and satellite imagery applications by governments and NGOs
• Comparative analysis of multiple digital technologies versus single-technology approaches
• Theoretical frameworks and conceptual models for understanding digital technology adoption in addressing unethical labour practices
• Empirical studies on the effectiveness and limitations of digital solutions in combating labour exploitation