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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 3:47 am
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Results for modern day slavery
9 results foundAuthor: Liberty Asia Title: From every angle: Using the law to combat human trafficking in Southeast Asia Summary: Modern-day slavery takes many forms: human trafficking, forced and bonded labour, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude. The common denominator of all these crimes is the evil intention to strip human beings of their freedom, and then to use, control, abuse and exploit them. Although often hidden, these odious crimes are all too common on fishing boats in Thailand, brothels in Cambodia, behind the closed doors of homes in Hong Kong, or in hotels in Western countries. As part of the wider efforts to combat these hateful crimes, the Thomson Reuters Foundation has teamed up with Liberty Asia and a number of leading law firms, to produce 'From every angle: Using the law to combat human trafficking in Southeast Asia'. Fighting human trafficking through our global pro bono programme TrustLaw is a core focus of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The report looks at the laws that apply in a range of scenarios: a woman is promised employment as a domestic worker, but receives abuse instead of her pay; a boy moves for a construction job, but is held against his will and denied fair wages; a woman moves country for a job, only to be forced to work in a brothel. While all these scenarios involve trafficking, it is not just trafficking laws that apply. We hope the report will highlight the range of offences that can occur in a trafficking situation, such as assault, sexual violence, employment and immigration law breaches, to enable more prosecutions and combat the culture of impunity for the traffickers and the offenders, whoever they are. The report focuses on seven countries in Southeast Asia. However, trafficking is a global issue. TrustLaw connects lawyers in over 170 countries with NGOs, like Liberty Asia, to provide free legal assistance on pressing global issues or to support their legal needs. Modern day slavery is a big part of our Trust Women Conference - a fast-growing movement to put the rule of law behind women's rights and trigger concrete action. Details: London: Thomson Reuters Foundation, 2014. 269p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 26, 2015 at: http://lawyer-vietnam.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/From-every-angle.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Asia URL: http://lawyer-vietnam.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/From-every-angle.pdf Shelf Number: 134306 Keywords: Forced LaborHuman TraffickingModern Day SlaveryProstitutionSex TraffickingSexual Exploitation |
Author: Dottridge, Mike Title: Emerging Good Practice by State Authorities, the Business Community and Civil Society in the Area of Reducing Demand for Human Trafficking for the Purpose of Labour Exploitation Summary: This report describes examples of initiatives to prevent trafficking in human beings for the purpose of what in Europe is known as 'labour exploitation'. It focuses on efforts to discourage the exploitation that leads to trafficking in human beings. The term 'labour exploitation' refers to purposes of human trafficking that do not involve the exploitation of the prostitution of others, or other forms of sexual exploitation or the removal of organs. In article 4 of the Council of Europe’s Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (2005), these purposes are specified as "forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, [and] servitude". The report sets out to identify methods that, on the basis of the information currently available, represent good practice. It presents, in turn, examples of initiatives by governments, businesses and civil society organisations. It reviews their strengths and weaknesses in terms of their effectiveness at preventing human trafficking in business practices and supply chains (which are also known as product and value chains). It also aims at encouraging other governments, businesses and civil society organisations to review these examples with a view to developing similar methods of their own. The report includes some examples of initiatives taken from Europe and elsewhere, all of which are reckoned to be replicable within Europe. Details: Strasbourg: Council of Europe, 2016. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 30, 2017 at: https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016806846be Year: 2016 Country: Europe URL: https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016806846be Shelf Number: 144645 Keywords: Collaboration Forced Labor Human Trafficking Labor Exploitation Modern Day SlaveryPartnerships |
Author: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Maine Advisory Committee Title: Human Trafficking in Maine Summary: Human trafficking - the coercion of human beings for the purpose of involuntary labor, sexual exploitation, or both - is a growing problem in Maine. President Obama has called human trafficking modern day slavery, declaring that the United States "must end this most serious, ongoing criminal civil rights violation." The Maine Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (Maine SAC or Committee) started examining the issue of human trafficking in 2011 and convened a briefing in April 2012. The Committee heard from law enforcement officials, prosecutors, legislators, and advocates. Survivors of human trafficking also participated, putting a human face on the problem. The briefing shined a light on the fact that Maine did not have a stand-alone dedicated human trafficking law. Committee members questioned the panelists about the absence of this legislation and encouraged panelists to consider legislative actions to help address the human trafficking in Maine. Subsequent to the briefing, the Maine legislature enacted several provisions aimed at protecting victims and increasing penalties for violators. Specifically, in 2013, the Maine legislature passed LD 1159, an Act to Address Human Trafficking, Sex Trafficking, and Prostitution. The statute broadened the definition of "human trafficking offense," and established "sex trafficking" and "aggravated sex trafficking" as crimes. The Maine legislature later signed LD 1730, An Act to Assist Victims of Human Trafficking, into law. The statute has two main effects: first, it provides an affirmative defense for victims of trafficking who are charged with prostitution, and second, it adds an additional fine for those convicted of aggravated sex trafficking. The Maine SAC convened a second briefing on human trafficking in June 2014 to learn about the impact of the new trafficking laws and to find out what still needs to be done to address human trafficking in Maine. The Committee invited additional law enforcement officials, prosecutors, legislators, advocates, and survivors of human trafficking to update the Committee. In issuing this report, the Committee commends the state for the progress it has made in addressing human trafficking. Nonetheless, the Committee finds that more needs to done to help victims and survivors of trafficking, especially with regards to criminal liability of victims and assistance for victims. Regarding criminal liability, the Committee learned that two new laws are needed: a vacatur statute and a safe harbor law. A vacatur law allows courts to vacate the offenses committed by victims during the course of their being trafficked. An ideal vacatur statute would allow courts to vacate any prostitution, drug possession, or other criminal conviction, provided that the act in question was committed by a victim of human trafficking during the course of being trafficked. To this end, the Maine SAC recommends that the Maine legislature enact a vacatur law. The Maine legislature should also enact a safe harbor law that is designed to prevent minors who are victims of human trafficking from being charged with crimes committed during the period they were trafficked. Existing safe harbor laws vary significantly among the states. Thus, the Maine SAC recommends that the Maine legislature enact the safe harbor law. The Committee also recommends that the U.S. Department of Justice draft a model safe harbor law that may be introduced in state legislatures. Finally, one of the most critical components of a proper response to human trafficking is the provision of adequate services for trafficking victims. Services are so key, in fact, that Maine prosecutors have ranked them more important in fighting human trafficking than a dedicated human trafficking statute itself. Traffickers make great efforts to ensure that their victims are isolated and totally dependent on them not only for the material essentials of life, but also for any sort of stability or feeling of normalcy. The Committee learned that trafficking victims are often arrested as a way to ensure that they have shelter, food, and safety. In order to adequately address human trafficking, the state needs both to create and fund programs that provide services to human trafficking victims. An ideal system of victim assistance services in Maine would address the fundamental needs of trafficking victims, including living assistance, educational services, and working with federal agencies on immigration and citizenship services. These services would receive sufficient funding to adequately serve the growing number of individuals in Maine identified as victims of both sex and labor trafficking. Finally, while this report focuses its findings and recommendations on the issue of sex trafficking, both briefings included testimony from advocates working on the issue of labor trafficking. Some estimate that labor trafficking constitutes almost one-third of the total human trafficking market. Labor trafficking in Maine occurs in several industries, including construction, manufacturing, agriculture, and logging. The Committee discredited the myth that labor trafficking involves exclusively undocumented workers. There are cases throughout New England - in construction, domestic help, and restaurants - where trafficked individuals are documented immigrants or U.S. citizens. We hope that Maine will consider adopting a standalone labor trafficking statute similar to the sex trafficking statute it recently enacted. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2016. 49p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 2, 2018 at: http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/Human-Trafficking-in-Maine.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/Human-Trafficking-in-Maine.pdf Shelf Number: 150436 Keywords: Forced LaborHuman TraffickingLabor TraffickingModern Day SlaverySex TraffickingSexual ExploitationVictims of Trafficking |
Author: Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force Title: Governor's Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force Report. Building a Comprehensive State Response Summary: Human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery where people profit from the control and exploitation of others. It is a pervasive crime that touches every region of the state with its destructive acts of injustice, devastating the lives of those impacted in Ohio's cities, suburbs and rural communities. To respond, Ohio Governor John R. Kasich launched a state-level anti-human trafficking response that has resulted in the coordinated and proactive measures that exist in Ohio today. In 2012, Governor Kasich signed Executive Order 2012-06K creating the Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force. In doing so, he charged state agencies to coordinate a state-level response to implement informed, strategic and effective policies addressing both the gaps and opportunities within Ohio's systems to identify and serve victims of human trafficking. Since 2012, the U.S. Department of State's 3P framework to prevent trafficking, protect victims and prosecute offenders has guided Ohio's strategy to build a foundation for a comprehensive response model. The Task Force has implemented policies to support the sustainability of Ohio's anti-trafficking initiatives and programs, supported local partnerships by providing continued training and technical support, and obtained federal dollars to implement anti-trafficking projects in Ohio. The following report outlines the 2017-2018 Task Force priorities and the steps the state has taken to accomplish them. Details: Ohio: Human Trafficking Task Force, 2019. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 10, 2019 at: https://humantrafficking.ohio.gov/OhioHumanTraffickingTaskForceReport0119.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: https://humantrafficking.ohio.gov/OhioHumanTraffickingTaskForceReport0119.pdf Shelf Number: 154097 Keywords: Anti-Human TraffickingHuman TraffickingModern Day SlaveryOhio |
Author: Verite Title: Assessment of Forced Labor Risk in the Cocoa Sector of Cote D'Ivoire Summary: Attention to human rights in the cocoa sector in West Africa has historically centered on the problem of child labor, which has long been known to be endemic in the industry. In recent years, however, a combination of increasing public awareness and intensifying international regulatory pressure has led to a heightened focus on the risk of forced labor - often termed "modern day slavery" - in the sector as well. A statistically representative study by Tulane University and Walk Free Foundation in 2018 estimated that 9,600 adults working in cocoa experienced forced labor in Cate d'Ivoire (CDI) between 2013 and 2017. The same study found that 2,000 children working in cocoa agriculture in CDI were forced to work by someone other than a parent. Given the hidden nature of much human trafficking and forced labor, it is also possible that levels may be significantly higher within isolated pockets in the sector. There is clear need for government, industry, and civil society actors working in the sector in Cote d'Ivoire to better understand the issue of forced labor and take steps to address the root causes of the problem when and where it occurs. In late 2016, at the request of the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) and two of its major private sector members, Verite researchers undertook rapid appraisal research to explore the nature of forced labor risk in the cocoa sector in Cote d'Ivoire. The study did not seek to document the overall level of forced labor in the sector, but instead to identify and qualitatively describe the nature of the specific indicators of forced labor that appear to be most relevant in the Ivoirian context. Verite based the methodology for this research on the definition of forced labor and methodological guidance on forced labor research provided by the International Labor Organization (ILO). Using the ILO's forced labor indicator framework, the Verite study focused on identifying specific risk factors for forced labor faced by cocoa workers, sharecroppers, and primary producers in the country. The study also explored the root causes and contextual factors that contribute to forced labor vulnerability in the Ivoirian cocoa sector. Verite then used findings from the study to inform development of a set of recommendations for key stakeholders on potential interventions to combat the forced labor risk identified. Details: Amherst, MA: Author, 2019. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 18, 2019 at: https://cocoainitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Verite-Report-Forced-Labor-in-Cocoa-in-CDI.pdf Year: 2019 Country: Africa URL: https://cocoainitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Verite-Report-Forced-Labor-in-Cocoa-in-CDI.pdf Shelf Number: 155454 Keywords: Child Labor Cocoa Industry Forced Labor Human Rights Abuses Labor Practices Modern Day Slavery |
Author: Verite Title: Recommendations for Addressing Forced Labor Risk in the Cocoa Sector of Cote D'Ivoire Summary: Forced Labor - and human trafficking for forced labor - have been documented as recently as 2018 in the cocoa sector in Cote d'Ivoire, with one recent study by the Walk Free Foundation and Tulane University estimating the number of victims at approximately 2,000 children and nearly 10,000 adults. In late 2016, Verite completed a qualitative rapid appraisal study to understand the nature of the root causes of forced labor in the Ivoirian cocoa sector using an indicator-based approach grounded in methodological guidance from the International Labor Organization. Verite's research found that some cocoa workers may be at risk of forced labor due to deception or other exploitation in the course of their recruitment, and may face debt bondage and other risks once at their workplaces on cocoa farms. Isolation, nonpayment or exploitative terms of payment, induced indebtedness, and other factors can potentially compound workers' vulnerability to forced labor. Verite found that migrants (from Burkina Faso, Mali, and non-cocoa producing areas of Cote d'Ivoire) who are carrying debt related to their recruitment and migration, and who are relatively early in their employment tenure in the cocoa sector, are the workers most likely to be at risk for these issues. The findings from Verite's research are published separately in the report Assessment of Forced Labor Risk in the Cocoa Sector of Cote d'Ivoire. With support from the International Cocoa Initiative, and in consultation with a range of industry, government, and civil society actors, Verite used these findings as the basis to develop the set of recommendations presented here. Details: Amherst, MA: Author, 2019. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 22, 2019 at: https://www.verite.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Verite-Recommendations-Forced-Labor-in-Cocoa-in-CDI.pdf Year: 2019 Country: Africa URL: https://www.verite.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Verite-Recommendations-Forced-Labor-in-Cocoa-in-CDI.pdf Shelf Number: 155495 Keywords: Child Labor Cocoa Industry Forced Labor Human Rights Abuses Labor Practices Modern Day Slavery |
Author: Verite Title: Research on Indicators of Forced Labor in the Supply Chain of Shrimp in Bangladesh Summary: Summary Verite carried out research on the presence of indicators of forced labor in the production of goods in seven countries from 2008 through 2011. Research was carried out on the production of shrimp in Bangladesh; Brazil-nuts, cattle, corn, and peanuts in Bolivia; sugar in the Dominican Republic; coffee in Guatemala; fish in Indonesia; rubber in Liberia; and tuna in the Philippines. The following report is based on research on the presence of indicators of forced labor in the Bangladesh shrimp sector. This research was not intended to determine the existence or scale of forced labor in the countries and sectors under study, but rather to identify the presence of indicators of forced labor and factors that increased workers' vulnerability to labor exploitation. Context/Objectives Bangladesh is a country facing high levels of poverty, with approximately 50 percent of the population living below the international poverty line. The shrimp sector has been promoted as a needed source of development, and indeed, has provided income to many workers. At the same time previous research has tied the shrimp sector to labor, environmental, and human rights abuses. However, little of the previous research specifically explored indicators of forced labor. The primary objectives of the project were to: - obtain background information on the shrimp sector in Bangladesh; - create a methodology to study the presence of indicators of forced labor in the Bangladesh shrimp sector; - identify and document indicators of forced labor among workers in the shrimp sector in Bangladesh; - document the broader working conditions that workers in the shrimp sector experience; and - determine the risk factors for indicators of forced labor and other forms of exploitation in the Bangladesh shrimp sector. Details: Amherst, MA: Verite, 2016. 134p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 27, 2019 at: https://www.verite.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Research-on-Indicators-of-Forced-Labor-in-the-Bangladesh-Shrimp-Sector__9.16.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Bangladesh URL: https://www.verite.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Research-on-Indicators-of-Forced-Labor-in-the-Bangladesh-Shrimp-Sector__9.16.pdf Shelf Number: 155576 Keywords: Fishing Industry Forced Labor Human Rights Abuses Labor Practices Modern Day Slavery |
Author: Verite Title: Research on Indicators of Forced Labor in the Supply Chains of Brazil-Nuts, Cattle, Corn, and Peanuts in Bolivia Summary: Main Findings Verite investigated the presence of indicators of forced labor using International Labor Organization (ILO) guidance titled, "Identifying Forced Labor in Practice," which was published by the Special Action Program on Forced Labor in a 2005 report, A Global Alliance Against Forced Labour: Global Report under the Follow-Up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. Research on Brazil-nuts in the Amazon region detected evidence of the presence of the following indicators of lack of consent: physical confinement in the work location, psychological compulsion (i.e. an order to work, backed up by a penalty for noncompliance), induced indebtedness, deception or false promises about terms of work, withholding and non-payment of wages, and retention of identity documents. Research detected evidence of the presence of the following indicators of menace of penalty (the actual presence or threat of): physical violence against workers, sexual violence, supernatural retaliation, physical confinement, dismissal from work, exclusion from future employment, exclusion from community and social life, removal of rights and privileges, deprivation of food, shift to even worse working conditions, and loss of social status. Other issues of concern detected during research included excessive working hours, a lack of days off during peak periods, low wages, a lack of benefits, serious hazards to workers' health and safety, discrimination, poor living conditions, dangerous transportation, and child labor. Research detected risk factors that increased workers' vulnerability to forced labor amongst Brazil-nut harvesters and factory workers in the Amazon region. Research on cattle, corn, and peanuts in the Chaco region detected evidence of the presence of the following indicators of lack of consent: physical confinement in the work location, psychological compulsion, induced indebtedness, deception or false promises about terms of work, and withholding and non-payment of wages. Research detected evidence of the presence of the following indicators of menace of penalty (the actual presence or threat of): physical violence against workers, sexual violence, and loss of social status. Other issues of concern detected during research included excessive working hours, a lack of days off for workers in animal husbandry, subminimum wages, serious hazards to workers' health and safety, and child labor. Risk factors that increased workers' vulnerability to forced labor were detected amongst salaried workers and indigenous and peasant self-employed workers in the cattle, corn, and peanut sectors in the Chaco region. Details: Amherst, MA: Verite, 2016. 150p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 27, 2019 at: https://www.verite.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Research-on-Indicators-of-Forced-Labor-in-the-Bolivia-Brazil-nut-Cattle-Corn-and-Peanut-Sectors__9.19.pdf Year: 0 Country: Bolivia URL: https://www.verite.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Research-on-Indicators-of-Forced-Labor-in-the-Bolivia-Brazil-nut-Cattle-Corn-and-Peanut-Sectors__9.19.pdf Shelf Number: 155579 Keywords: Bolivia Child Labor Forced Labor Human Rights Abuses Indentured Servants Modern Day Slavery |
Author: Walk Free Foundation Title: Bitter Sweets: Prevalence of Forced Labour and Child Labour in the Cocoa Sector of Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana Summary: The primary aim of this study conducted by the Tulane University in collaboration with Tony’s Chocolonely and the Walk Free Foundation was to provide baseline estimates of prevalence of forced labour among children (aged 10 – 17 years) and adults (aged 18 and over) working in the cocoa sector in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, as well as updated estimates of the number of children (aged 10 to 17 years) exposed to child labour. Details: Chatelain, Switzerland: Walk Free Foundation and International Cocoa Initiative Foundation, 2018. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 22, 2019 at: https://cdn.minderoo.com.au/content/uploads/2019/03/06111232/Cocoa-Report_181016_V15-FNL_digital.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Africa URL: https://cocoainitiative.org/knowledge-centre-post/bitter-sweets-the-prevalence-of-forced-labour-child-labour-in-the-cocoa-sectors-of-cote-divoire-ghana/ Shelf Number: 155040 Keywords: Child Labor Cocoa Industry Forced Labor Human Rights Abuses Labor Practices Modern Day Slavery |