AngloGold Ashanti has released its second Modern Slavery Statement.

The statement has been produced in line with the Australian government’s Modern Slavery Act 2018 and the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015.

AngloGold Ashanti reports against the latter on a voluntary basis.

“Our Modern Slavery Statement reflects our commitment to respect human rights – the fundamental rights and freedoms to which everyone is entitled and we have a role to play in preventing and eliminating any practices that may be defined as modern slavery across our business”, the miner said in a statement.

In 2017, the International Labour Organization estimated that over 40 million people were exposed to modern slavery the previous year.

Of this figure, 71% were women and girls, and one in four were children.

These figures are likely to be worse in the wake of Covid-19, the statement said.

The UK’s Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre estimates that the pandemic has exacerbated the underlying drivers of modern slavery worldwide.

In this context, our efforts to understand and mitigate modern slavery risks at every step in our value chain are an ethical imperative, through understanding these potential risks, addressing them, and reporting on them transparently on a regular basis, we are able to ensure that they do not pose a threat to any of our people or to our business.

AngloGold Ashanti’s Modern Slavery Statement 2021 provides a detailed overview of the Company’s footprint, supply chain and approach to human rights, as well as potential modern slavery risks at its operations and how these are being addressed.