"Forced labour is a feature, not a bug, in the global supply chain." – Evelyn Chumbow

Evelyn Chumbow was only nine years old when she was taken from her home in Cameroon and trafficked to the United States, where she was forced to work for nearly a decade. She never saw a classroom, and never had a childhood. She was a child labourer in one of the world’s wealthiest nations, hidden in plain sight.

Today, Evelyn is a leading voice in the global fight against child labour. As Advocacy and Survivor Leadership Director at the Human Trafficking Legal Center, she speaks from lived experience to challenge governments, corporations, and institutions to confront a hard truth: child labour is not a relic of the past, nor a problem confined to faraway places. It is embedded in global supply chains – from agriculture and manufacturing to domestic work and mining – and it often goes undetected, undocumented, and unchallenged.

In a conversation with Global Child Forum, Evelyn shared her journey – not only of survival, but of leadership. Whether you are a business leader shaping global operations or a sustainability professional navigating new reporting requirements under the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), Evelyn’s story is a call to go deeper. Compliance is not enough. Behind every risk indicator and due diligence checklist is a real child – one whose life can be shaped, protected, or exploited by the decisions companies make every day.

This conversation is not just about awareness. It’s about responsibility. And action.

Can you take us back to those early years in forced child labour? What do you remember most, and what did that experience teach you about how systems allow this kind of exploitation to exist undetected?

Evelyn Chumbow: What I remember most was a fake promise. My trafficker promised me and my family that I would come to the U.S. to obtain an education. My family trusted this woman with my future. This experience taught me that there are so many children forced into child labour in the United States and around the world. In my experience, I was forced to work as a domestic servant at age 9 till 17 with no education. It showed me how the system failed to protect me and so many others. While I was trafficked, I would take her children to school, cook, clean, and watch other children in the neighbourhood. No one reported the situation. Coming from another country, I didn’t know any of the rules and laws of the U.S. I had no clue how to escape.

Many business leaders assume child labour is rare or only happens far away. What would you say to those in corporate roles who may not realise how child labour shows up in their supply chains, or even in domestic, hidden workforces?

EC: First, to the companies that profit from child labour, I would say they should be ashamed of themselves for forcing children to work. All corporations and companies need to have due diligence to make sure their goods are not made through forced labour or child labour. Forced labour is a feature, not a bug, in the global supply chain. It exists everywhere, in the richest countries and the poorest. Oftentimes, U.S. companies are purchasing goods that have been made with forced labour or by contracting factories that hire children to work for no pay. These companies need to pay attention. It’s happening under their noses.

Were there moments when someone could have noticed and intervened earlier? What lessons can companies and institutions learn from that in terms of prevention and accountability?

EC: Yes, there were many times people could have intervened. For example, the neighbours whose children I was watching. Some of them were lawyers, some of them were doctors. They saw me taking care of these children, and they never said anything. I think companies should provide more training to employees to detect child labour in the workforce. Training must be provided by survivors of child forced labour to ensure survivor-centred policies. We also need better and stronger policies for migrant children. We need long-term services for them. A lot of us, as immigrants who come here as children unaccompanied, forced to work with no pay, no healthcare, and no education, have to learn how to support not only ourselves, but our families as well.

After escaping, you became a leader and advocate. What helped you make that shift from surviving to speaking out, and what does real survivor empowerment look like in corporate or policy spaces?

EC: After I escaped, I sought help. My case was investigated all the way back to my home country of Cameroon. After my case was prosecuted, I remember being requested to be interviewed by ABC News. My lawyer, Melanie Orhant, told me I didn’t have to talk to them if I didn’t want to. But she told me, “Think about how many lives you could change.” She gave me the choice. After reflecting, I recalled visiting my trafficker’s home in Cameroon and seeing many other children being forced to work.

These were very wealthy people who could have afforded to hire professional, adult help. I became more aware of how common child labour was around the world. I decided I had to speak up and share my story. Most importantly, I had to speak up for children from Africa who are being forced to work every day, their voices taken away.

Real survivor empowerment is investing in survivors. This can be seen in programs like The Harriet Tubman Fellowship at the Human Trafficking Legal Center. This program invests in labour trafficking survivors who are leaders in their communities to help them obtain a career of their choice. More companies and organisations need to show real, tangible investment in survivors’ futures. When we talk about children who are survivors of forced labour, we must talk about providing free education opportunities. Regarding addressing child forced labour policy, we must address the root cause, which is poverty.

You’ve worked with survivors from many parts of the world. Are there common patterns in how child labour is connected to business?

EC: Yes, there are common patterns in how child labour is connected to business. Many child labour survivors have similar experiences. These children are trying to support and provide for their families. Traffickers and companies take advantage of the naivety of young children in order to profit from them. Children are taught to respect and listen to adults. Which is how they can easily become victims of forced labour.

In Europe, sustainability professionals are now being asked to report on human rights under the ESRS. In your view, what types of corporate disclosures truly matter and what still gets overlooked when it comes to child labour?

EC: We overlook the fact that children as young as six years old are being forced to work in the first place. Regarding corporate disclosures, safety in the workplace is essential. Children are often forced to work in hazardous situations. Not only that, but they are also raped and abused. This is not talked about enough. Again, training in these workplaces is essential in preventing child labour.

Audits and certifications are often used by companies to ensure clean supply chains. From your perspective, are these tools enough? What would real transparency and accountability look like?

EC: No, these tools are not enough. To me, real transparency is holding these large corporations accountable. Government officials also need to be held accountable for allowing children to be forced to work. Companies need to use all measures necessary to ensure they are not benefiting from child forced labour.

What message would you leave with sustainability managers and executives reading this? What’s one meaningful action they can take today to help protect children from exploitation?

EC: As parents, we try to protect our children from danger. Sustainability managers and executives reading this should consider if their children were in these situations. When we say all children should be protected, we mean children of every race, gender, ethnicity, and religion. Those children who were forced to work for many years are now adults who face economic uncertainty. We must invest in survivors to ensure they have the same opportunity to thrive and achieve their goals.