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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
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Results for forced labour
6 results foundAuthor: Dottridge, Mike Title: Child Labour Today Summary: This report, the third in the series, exposes the exploitation of children as workers. Tens of millions of children around the world today work long hours from very young ages. Some are even recruited as cannon fodder for political causes, or are treated as sex toys. Here we explain the nature and scale of the problem and the growing international concern to eradicate the worst abuses. The report describes cases from around the world of children who start work instead of attending school, of those whose lives are endangered by their work, and of children who are treated as if they were items to be bought or sold, rather than as human beings. It also brings the picture closer to home and looks at the exploitation of children at work in the United Kingdom. It reports on the experiences of professionals involved in the field, and the opinions of British children themselves, gathered in a unique survey. The report also reveals how foreign national children are brought into the UK specifically to be exploited as workers, in homes as well as restaurants, factories and farms. It looks at the serious inadequacies of the protection currently available, particularly for children brought to the UK especially to be exploited, and recommends action to be taken. This report also describes some of UNICEF’s current initiatives to advocate for the rights of the world’s 350 million child and youth workers and to protect them against abuse at work, as well as pinpointing the action needed to end the economic exploitation of children. Details: New York: UNICEF, 2005. 65p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 10, 2011 at: http://www.unicef.es/contenidos/273/child_labour_today.pdf Year: 2005 Country: International URL: http://www.unicef.es/contenidos/273/child_labour_today.pdf Shelf Number: 117367 Keywords: Child LaborForced Labour |
Author: Seelke, Clare Ribando Title: Trafficking in Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean Summary: Trafficking in persons (TIP) is a growing problem in Latin America and the Caribbean, a region that contains major source, transit, and destination countries for trafficking victims. Major forms of TIP in the region now include commercial sexual exploitation of women and girls, labor trafficking within national borders (including child labor), and the trafficking of illegal immigrants in Mexico and Central America. Latin America is a primary source region for people that are trafficked to the United States, as well as for victims trafficked to Western Europe and Japan. As many as 17,500 are trafficked into the United States each year, according to State Department estimates. Latin America is also a transit region for Asian victims destined for the United States, Canada, and Europe. Some of the wealthier countries in the region (such as Brazil, Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina, Panama, and Mexico) also serve as TIP destinations. This report describes the nature and scope of the problem of trafficking in persons in Latin America and the Caribbean. It then describes U.S. efforts to deal with trafficking in persons in the region, as well as discusses the successes and failures of some recent country and regional anti-trafficking efforts. The report concludes by raising issues that may be helpful for Congress to consider as it continues to address human trafficking as part of its authorization, appropriations, and oversight activities. Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2010. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: RL33200: Accessed March 18, 2011 at: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33200.pdf Year: 2010 Country: International URL: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33200.pdf Shelf Number: 121070 Keywords: Child LabourForced LabourHumkan Trafficking (Latin American and the CaribbeIllegal ImmigrantsSexual Exploitation |
Author: Butter, Tamara Title: Exploitative Labour Relations and Legal Consciousness of Irregular Migrant Workers in the Netherlands Summary: Because of their precarious position in the Netherlands, irregular migrants are potential victims of trafficking. The issue of trafficking in human beings is gaining more attention in the Netherlands, initially mainly in connection with prostitution but now increasingly also with regard to other forms of exploitation. Given the relevance of combating human trafficking of irregular migrants, IOM The Hague asked the University of Amsterdam (UvA) to research this issue. The first part of the UvA’s exploratory research is conducted through legal desk research based on the study of international and national law, jurisprudence and literature. In addition, staff members were interviewed of the Expertise Centrum Mensenhandel en Mensensmokkel, the Dutch Labour Inspectorate the Social Intelligence and Investigation Service (SIOD), representatives of Okia Foundation and BLinN as well as three lawyers assisting irregular migrants in labour law cases. The second part of the research, dealing with the migrant perspective regarding labour rights, was based on semi-structured interviews conducted with irregular migrants (previously) working in the Netherlands themselves. The irregular migrants were contacted at the consultation hours of the IOM. Moreover, migrants held in aliens detention centres were contacted. This exploratory research demonstrates that combating exploitative labour relations through a rights-based approach in the Netherlands is a complex undertaking, for which both institutional reforms at the (sub-)state level, as well as individual understanding and willingness to enforce labour rights for irregular migrant workers are necessary conditions. The rights-based approach can only be a viable alternative when the institutional steps to which the Dutch government is legally obliged are taken, resulting in more protection and awareness-raising among irregular migrants. However, even if these measures are taken, it remains doubtful whether irregular migrants will be willing to actually enforce their rights. From our empirical research it appears that a vast majority is currently not willing to take such steps for various reasons. Although many of these reasons relate to the existence of a parallel society without de facto labour rights – which could be changed through State action – the fact that they are just glad to have a job, are grateful for that and do not want to damage their contacts proved to be decisive in not claiming rights. Nevertheless, the creation of more awareness of rights and enforcement possibilities would be a first step towards dissolving the parallel society which is a necessary requirement for abolishing exploitative labour relations in the Netherlands. Details: Amsterdam: University of Amsterdam, 2011. 63p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 10, 2011 at: http://www.iom-nederland.nl/english/Configuratie/Homepage/About_IOM/IOM_in_the_Netherlands/Publications/Reports/Exploitative_Labour_Relations_and_Legal_Consciousness_of_Irregular_Migrant_Workers_in_the_Netherlands Year: 2011 Country: Netherlands URL: http://www.iom-nederland.nl/english/Configuratie/Homepage/About_IOM/IOM_in_the_Netherlands/Publications/Reports/Exploitative_Labour_Relations_and_Legal_Consciousness_of_Irregular_Migrant_Workers_in_the_Netherlands Shelf Number: 121697 Keywords: Forced LabourHuman Trafficking (Netherlands)Illegal ImmigrantsMigrants |
Author: Quirk, Joel Title: Unfinished Business: A Comparative Survey of Historical and Contemporary Slavery Summary: The history of slavery raises many uncomfortable political and moral questions. Until relatively recently, legal enslavement was widely regarded as a natural and all but inescapable feature of human existence, which appears to have been sanctioned, in one form or another, by every major civilization and religion. The key break with this enduring precedent occurred in the second half of the eighteenth century, with the emergence of an organized anti-slavery movement in some parts of Europe and the Americas. This fledgling movement would face tremendous political and economic obstacles. From the sixteenth century onwards, European traders had been supplying colonial settlements in the Americas with ever increasing numbers of slaves from Africa. This unprecedented investment in human bondage had proved to be a major commercial success, creating powerful vested interests that were heavily reliant upon slave labour. Over many decades, organized anti-slavery challenged this flourishing system on various fronts, leading to protracted contests over the status of slavery on both sides of Atlantic. After numerous setbacks, false starts and a series of often violent conflicts, slavery was legally abolished throughout the Americas, with the final act coming with the passage of a ‘Golden Law’ abolishing slavery in Brazil. The passing of Trans-Atlantic slavery is often viewed as an historical endpoint, which relegated slavery to the distant past. This is misleading. As this report makes clear, slavery remained legal in other parts of the globe well into the twentieth century, and in territories where slavery came to be legally abolished human bondage and extreme exploitation regularly continued under other designations. Many governments would rush to declare that slavery was no longer a problem, but these declarations rarely matched events on the ground. In the immediate aftermath of legal abolition, this was chiefly a question of the widespread use of forced, bonded and indentured labour in many jurisdictions. Over the last half century, the primary focus has gradually shifted towards practices which are analogous to legal slavery, with human trafficking, sexual servitude and child labour acquiring particular prominence. Interest in contemporary slavery has increased dramatically over the last ten years, but there remains a widespread tendency to view historical and contemporary slavery as independent fields of study. For most historians of slavery, current problems rarely enter into the picture, except perhaps as brief postscripts, which typically take the form of passing observations that the struggle against slavery has not entirely concluded. For those focused on the present, the bulk of whom are political activists and official agents, the history of slavery and abolition consistently takes a back seat to contemporary issues. While both approaches are perfectly legitimate and entirely understandable, they can indirectly foster an informal separation between past and present, which can obscure the historical roots of contemporary problems. This report moves beyond this artificial divide, providing the first ever comparative survey of both historical practices and contemporary problems. In doing so, it draws upon a wide range of literatures and source materials. The primary goal here is not to provide a comprehensive account of a specific issue or event in the history of slavery, but instead to integrate some of the key findings of existing treatments of many different events within a broader historical and political perspective. By concentrating upon important parallels between past and present, the report offers new ways of engaging with many of the key relationships and connections that have shaped the historical trajectory of slavery and abolition over the last five centuries. It is also important to recognize, however, that the report also operates at a high level of generalization. This has meant that a number of important developments have been passed over, or sketched in relatively brief terms. These shortcomings are hard to avoid in a survey of this type, especially given the scale of the global issues involved, so it is important to approach the information presented here as an open invitation to further analysis, rather than the final word on any particular topic. To assist additional inquiries, the report also includes a substantial number of references, which provide information on many key sources and authors for readers seeking further information on specific issues. The report is divided into five major chapters. The first chapter, ‘Defining Slavery in all its Forms,’ examines a number of definitions of slavery, both past and present. When it comes to the history of slavery, the main task facing any definition of slavery is developing a formula which separates slavery from related forms of servitude. When it comes to contemporary slavery, the main task facing any definition of slavery is specifying which activities are sufficiently similar to legal slavery that they deserve to be placed on the same footing. The second chapter, ‘The Question of Numbers’, examines a number of estimates of the scale of slavery, slave trading and other forms of human bondage. This starts with the history of Trans-Atlantic slavery, where a great deal of information is available. This wealth of material is unusual. In most cases estimates of slave numbers are confined to informed extrapolations, which can often be complicated by the illegal nature of many of the practices involved. The third chapter, ‘Human Bondage in Comparative Perspective’, identifies a number of differences and similarities between historical and contemporary practices. Four main themes are identified here; i) demand, acquisition and control, ii) transit and transfer, iii) slave roles, and iv) slave resistance. These themes follow a loose sequence of events, with demand for slaves providing a basis for various modes of enslavement, market-driven migration, and a series of commercial exchanges. Once slaves reach their destination, we confront the further question of slave roles, which have been characterized by a range of economic, reproductive, military and social considerations. The final theme of this chapter is slave resistance, which applies to every stage in this complex chain. Slave resistance is commonly associated with overt acts such as rebellion, flight and suicide, but it can also extend to long-term efforts to develop autonomous spaces under extremely difficult circumstances. By considering each of these themes in turn, this chapter identifies a number of key differences and similarities between various historical and contemporary practices, paving the way for further analysis of the history of organized anti-slavery and contemporary activism. The fourth chapter, ‘Legal Abolition’ starts by identifying three main paths through which the legal abolition of slavery has historically occurred. This finds expression in a series of brief case studies, starting with four countries which occupy key positions when it comes to the end of Trans-Atlantic slavery; the United States of America, Saint-Domingue/Haiti, Great Britain and Portugal. Each of these cases captures different aspects of a complex trajectory. The history of anti-slavery is often equated with social activism in Britain and the United States, but these countries are not representative of experiences elsewhere. These case studies are then followed by a survey of the history of the legal abolition of slavery in other parts of the globe, where anti-slavery measures were often closely connected with European imperialism and colonialism. This important relationship is explored through additional studies of the history of legal abolition of slavery in India, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia. The fifth chapter, ‘Effective Emancipation’, explores some of the key limitations of the legal abolition of slavery. Although slavery has been legally abolished throughout the world, the serious problems associated with slavery have continued to this day in various guises. Something more is required: effective emancipation. The chapter begins with the aftermath of legal abolition, which can be divided into short and long term dimensions. The immediate component is concerned with the widespread use of other forms of human bondage as an informal substitute for slavery following legal abolition. The long term component is concerned with the enduring legacies of historical patterns of enslavement. The chapter then goes on to provide a further series of case studies of different aspects of contemporary slavery, focusing upon chattel slavery in Mauritania, debt-bondage in India, migrant domestic workers in Singapore, and human trafficking in Great Britain. The conclusion of the report, ‘Public Policy and Political Activism’, outlines a series of general strategies and recommendations for addressing contemporary problems. This platform draws upon the key insights of previous chapters of the report, making a case for both targeted action and sweeping socio-economic reform. This begins with four key themes; i) education, information and awareness ii) further legal reform, iii) effective enforcement, and iv) release, rehabilitation and restitution. These four themes can be viewed as the core of anti-slavery activism, offering a targeted platform that should command support from across the political and ideological spectrum. It is also clear, however, that the fight against both contemporary slavery and the long-term legacies of historical slave systems requires systemic efforts to address larger socio-economic problems. If we are serious about confronting contemporary slavery, we also need to be serious about larger questions of poverty, inequality, racism and discrimination. Details: Paris: The Slave Route Project, Division of Cultural Policies and Intercultural Dialogue, UNESCO, 2008. 141p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 15, 2011 at: http://www.unesco.org/culture/pdf/UnfinishedBusinessReport2008.pdf Year: 2008 Country: International URL: http://www.unesco.org/culture/pdf/UnfinishedBusinessReport2008.pdf Shelf Number: 123354 Keywords: Forced LabourHuman TraffickingSlavery |
Author: Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) Title: Sold to the Sea: Human Trafficking in Thailand's Fishing Industry Summary: Sold to the Sea: Human Trafficking in Thailand's Fishing Industry exposes severe human rights abuses associated with human trafficking in Thailand's fishing industry and documents the testimonies of Burmese workers, as young as 16, who were forced onto fishing vessels for many months and subjected to arduous, often violent, working conditions without pay. The report details testimonies of crew murdered at sea, and on shore, and the shocking figure from a 2009 survey by the United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP) that found 59% of interviewed migrants trafficked about Thai fishing boats reported witnessing the murder of a fellow worker. Details: London: Environmental Justice Foundation, 2013. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 4, 2013: http://www.ejfoundation.org/node/663 Year: 2013 Country: Thailand URL: http://www.ejfoundation.org/node/663 Shelf Number: 128930 Keywords: Fishing IndustryForced LabourHuman Trafficking (Thailand) |
Author: Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT) Title: Preventing Trafficking in Persons by Addressing Demand Summary: During the first decade following the adoption of the UN Trafficking in Persons Protocol, most efforts to prevent trafficking in persons (TIP) focused on what is often referred to as the supply side, concentrating on those who were seen as vulnerable to becoming victims of trafficking in person. Partly as a result of a perceived lack of progress for such supply side interventions, recent years have seen an increased interest in identifying and addressing factors that contribute to the demand that fosters all forms of labour exploitation. One of the ways in which this demand is met, is through trafficking in persons, which this paper aims to explore. The present paper is the second in a series of policy papers elaborated jointly by the member organizations of the Inter-agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons. Its purpose is to provide guidance to organizations and practitioners by mapping out the dimensions of this demand as it relates specifically to trafficking in persons for labour exploitation, as well as highlighting strategies that can be used to address this aspect of the problem. The paper proceeds to identify concrete steps that can be taken by different actors to effectively reduce this demand. This paper concentrates specifically on demand that contributes to trafficking for labour exploitation in the context of the production of goods and/or services. The paper thus excludes trafficking for other purposes (including forced marriage, begging, forced criminality and organ removal), each of which has particular nuances. The paper further does not address demand that contributes to trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The paper does however make frequent reference to forced labour. While forced labour and trafficking for labour exploitation are not fully synonymous - not all forced labour involves trafficking and not all trafficking for labour exploitation amounts to forced labour - they both result from similar demand factors. Further, many relevant initiatives against exploitative labour practices are framed in terms of forced labour rather than trafficking in persons. The paper is divided into three parts. Part I provides an introduction to the concept of demand in the context of trafficking in persons for labour exploitation, the international legal framework relating to demand, and the reasons for increased attention to this area. The aim is not to create a definitive definition of demand but rather to identify an overall framework for Part II of the paper. This identifies different strategies and approaches for addressing demand and includes suggestions on possible steps to be taken with regard to each strategy. Part III consists of concluding comments, incorporating a brief summary of main recommendations. Details: Vienna, Austria: ICAT, 2014. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 20, 2015 at: http://www.ungift.org/doc/knowledgehub/events/ICAT_Demand_paper_-_FINAL.pdf Year: 2014 Country: International URL: http://www.ungift.org/doc/knowledgehub/events/ICAT_Demand_paper_-_FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 135272 Keywords: Crime Prevention Programs, Human TraffickingForced LabourHuman TraffickingSexual Exploitation |