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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 12:08 pm
Time: 12:08 pm
Results for electronic goods
2 results foundAuthor: Verite Title: Forced Labor in the Production of Electronic Goods in Malaysia: A Comprehensive Study of Scope and Characteristics Summary: You might think about debt bondage in relation to making bricks in South Asia or building skyscrapers in the Middle East, not putting together the pieces of your newest mobile phone or laser printer in Malaysia. But if you are reading this on a tablet, smartphone or computer monitor, then you may be holding a product of forced labor. Verite's two-year study of labor conditions in electronics manufacturing in Malaysia found that one in three foreign workers surveyed in Malaysian electronics was in a condition of forced labor. Because many of the most recognizable brands source components of their products from Malaysia, this means that virtually every device on the market today may have come in contact with modern-day slavery. Verite interviewed more than 500 male and female workers across all major producing regions, electronics products, and foreign worker nationalities. Malaysian nationals were also surveyed. The results of these extensive interviews indicate that forced labor is present in the Malaysian electronics industry in more than just isolated cases, and that the problem is indeed widespread. "Verite's study is the most comprehensive look at forced labor in the Malaysian electronics sector to date," Dan Viederman, CEO of Verite, remarked. "Our report provides a clear sense of the scope of the problem in the industry, as well as the root causes underlying this egregious form of abuse, which center on unlawful and unethical recruitment practices." The report identifies the top factors responsible for making this sector prone to human rights abuses. According to Verite's study, the widespread reliance on third-party agents for the recruitment, management and employment of foreign workers limits their protections and blurs accountability for labor conditions. Other top factors identified by the research as contributors to forced labor include unlawful passport retention, high and hidden recruitment fees resulting in widespread indebtedness that can trap workers in their jobs, deceptive recruitment practices, highly constrained freedom of movement, poor living conditions, fines and other penalties that prevent workers from being able to resign, and inadequate legal protections. Details: Amherst, MA: Verite, 2014. 244p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 23, 2014 at: http://www.verite.org/sites/default/files/images/VeriteForcedLaborMalaysianElectronics2014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Malaysia URL: http://www.verite.org/sites/default/files/images/VeriteForcedLaborMalaysianElectronics2014.pdf Shelf Number: 133807 Keywords: Electronic GoodsForced Labor (Malaysia)Human Rights Abuses |
Author: KnowTheChain Title: Eradicating Forced Labor in Electronics: What do company statements under the UK Modern Slavery Act tell us? Summary: The information and communications technology sector (ICT) is at high risk of forced labor. A significant number of workers in electronics supply chains are migrant workers who are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. The US Department of Labor lists China and Malaysia as countries where electronics may be produced using forced labor. In fact, a 2014 Verite study found that nearly a third of migrant workers in Malaysia's electronics sector are in situations of forced labor. To mark the third anniversary of the passage of the UK Modern Slavery Act, this report analyzes how companies in this at-risk sector are responding to this legislative requirement. The UK Modern Slavery Act is the most farreaching global legislation on forced labor and human trafficking currently in effect, as it affects any global company that has a turnover of $36 million or more and carries out business in the UK. Most notably, it is the first piece of legislation that requires not only annual reporting on the steps taken to address modern slavery in a company's own operations and supply chains, but also board approval and a director's signature on the company's public statement - ensuring that senior management, as well as boards, pay attention to the issue of forced labor. To understand to what extent the sector is aware of and responding to this legislation, we analyzed large- and medium-size global ICT companies and identified 102 companies from Asia, Europe, and the United States required to report under the Modern Slavery Act. We reached out to 23 of those companies that had not published a statement. We also assessed compliance among published statements with the minimum requirements of the Modern Slavery Act: the statement must be linked on the homepage of the company's website, signed by a director or equivalent, and approved by the board. We additionally evaluated all the identified ICT companies' statements against KnowTheChain's benchmark methodology, which comprises seven themes: commitment and governance, traceability and risk assessment, purchasing practices, recruitment, worker voice, monitoring, and remedy. All statements receive a score out of 100. Disappointingly, 85% of the analyzed statements scored below 25. This report highlights promising practices, as well as gaps identified against our methodology, and makes recommendations to companies. Details: San Francisco: KnowTheChain, 2018. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 29, 2018 at: https://knowthechain.org/wp-content/uploads/KTC-ICT-MSA-Report_Final_Web.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://knowthechain.org/wp-content/uploads/KTC-ICT-MSA-Report_Final_Web.pdf Shelf Number: 149597 Keywords: Electronic GoodsForced LaborHuman Rights AbusesHuman traffickingModern Slavery |