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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri

Time: 12:13 pm

Results for supply chains

39 results found

Author: Bichou, Khalid

Title: Security and Risk-Based Models in Shipping and Ports: Review and Critical Analysis

Summary: The primary aim of maritime security assessment models is to assess the level of security within and across the maritime network. When managing risk through legislation, regulatory assessment models are used to assess risk levels and examine the impact of policy options, usually in terms of the costs and benefits of a regulatory proposal. This paper reviews the development, application and adequacy of existing risk assessment and management models to maritime and port security. In particular, it examines the problematical issues of security perception, value and impact, and discusses the limitations of the current regulatory framework in providing an integrated and effective approach to risk assessment and managment, including for supply chain security.

Details: Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, International Transport Forum, 2008. 38p.

Source: Internet Resource; Discussion Paper No. 2008-20

Year: 2008

Country: International

URL:

Shelf Number: 118796

Keywords:
Harbors, Security Measures
Maritime Law
Maritime Security
Port Security
Risk Assessment
Shipping, Security Measures
Supply Chains
Transnational Crime

Author: Veiter, Daniela

Title: Cargo Security Initiatives in the United States, Canada and Mexico and their Effect on Trade in the NAFTA Region

Summary: Cross-border trade today is an essential driver of nations’ prosperity. A prolonged disruption in a supply chain has an enormous impact on a country’s as well as the global economy. The international transportation network and its long supply chains are very fragile and vulnerable to terrorist abuse or similar attacks. The high number of agents add another level of risk. The products, factories, supply chain facilities and supply chain partners, carriers, people and information could all present danger to the supply chain. Globalization turned the market place into a competitive environment where companies seek to hire the most affordable workers as well as choose the cheapest suppliers or service providers. This trend spreads business practices out all over the world and increases the need for transportation while adding complexity to a company’s value chain. The most effective way is a worldwide cooperation of countries on securing the global trade system without hindering the trade flow. A global partnership involving all agents along a supply chain with harmonised and compatible systems, both for customs work and for the exchange of information would be the perfect solution. And collaboration and coordinated work reduces the risk of disruptions and is more cost-effective too. Since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 on New York and Washington DC, the international trade community has dedicated more time and money on the issue of security. The U.S. government, the Canadian government and the Mexican government have established a multi-layered defense strategy to protect their people and country. International cargo that is being shipped to certain target countries poses a significant security risk. In particular, cargo containers can be abused to carry weapons, in particular weapons of mass destruction (WMD) or other dangerous items. Those containers are particularly vulnerable to changes from their legitimate commercial purpose due to the numerous transfers within the transport chain they are subject to. Those very same internationally moving containers, though, are of utter importance to global commerce as they ship about 95% of the world’s international cargo, in terms of value. Over 48 million containers are being shipped between seaports around the world. Intermodal transport has enabled trucks and trains to move goods around continents in the ocean containers. Any terrorist actions can have largescale damage to a country’s society and economy and thus it is essential to have systems in place that can prevent such events from happening beforehand. The United States of America was the first country to start introducing plans to identify high risk cargo shipments and soon Canada and Mexico followed. The initiatives seek to ensure security over different levels. There are three main areas of risk that these security initiatives seek to address. First, the security of vital cargo information relating to the contents and destination of the shipment must be accessible by customs authorities. This also includes IT security. Then there is the level of physical control through inspections and screening. The last level covers the entire supply chain through screening and background checks of every agent involved in the process. This includes all groups between the manufacturer and the final destination of the product. This thesis talks about cargo security initiatives in the NAFTA countries of the United States, Canada and Mexico for any shipments crossing borders between those countries by either road, sea, air or rail. It shows the development and intensification of those security regulations over the last years, analyses their purpose and recommends how to best deal with them if you are a business located in this area.

Details: Vienna: Institut für Transportwirtschaft und Logistik, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, 2009. 133p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: http://epub.wu.ac.at/822/1/document.pdf

Year: 2009

Country: International

URL: http://epub.wu.ac.at/822/1/document.pdf

Shelf Number: 123240

Keywords:
Cargo Security (U.S., Canada, Mexico)
Cargo Theft
Maritime Crime
Stolen Goods
Stolen Property
Supply Chains
Terrorism

Author: Brentz, Brooks

Title: Learning from Recent Threats to Cargo Security

Summary: On October 29, 2010, President Barack Obama confirmed that suspicious air cargo shipments destined for the United States contained explosive materials. Although these shipments were discovered in Dubai and England, the United States federal government grounded planes at Newark and Philadelphia airports to inspect packages based on fears of a terrorist threat originating from Yemen. Intervention prompted by intelligence sharing among governments of the countries involved prevented catastrophic outcomes. As with other near misses, governments are responding by reexamining cargo transport regulations and security practices. Accenture believes that it is time for manufacturer-shippers to do the same to protect against major disruptions to their global supply chains. However, given the vast volume of goods moving around the world and the multiple modes of transportation involved, practical approaches are needed to address the risks.

Details: Boston(?): Accenture, 2011. 8p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 10, 2012 at: http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture_Learning_From_Recent_Threats.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: International

URL: http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture_Learning_From_Recent_Threats.pdf

Shelf Number: 124039

Keywords:
Cargo Security
Cargo Theft
Risk Assessment
Stolen Goods
Supply Chains
Theft of Property

Author: Waller, Matthew A.

Title: An Empirical Study of Potential Uses of RFID in the Apparel Retail Supply Chain

Summary: Phase I of an empirical study of potential uses of radio frequency identification (RFID) in the apparel supply chain was conducted in the fall of 2010. This Phase of the research was designed to identify potential use cases for the use of RFID in an apparel supply chain and was funded by GS1 US and the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA). The three-phase Supplier ROI study is commonly referred to as the Many-to-Many study. Phase II will involve the measurement of ROI for select use cases identified in Phase I. Phase III will study the effect of RFID on multiple suppliers simultaneously through an experiment. The use cases were solicited from a wide range of companies, in several different countries, in many different types of facilities, and thus reveal where the industry collectively believes the greatest RFID benefits reside. Over a period of several months, we collected more than 60 use cases. The findings of Phase I show that the potential benefits of item-level RFID in the apparel supply chain reach beyond the retailer and include apparel manufacturers.

Details: Fayetteville, Arkansas: Information Technology Research Institute, Sam W. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas, 2011. 40p.

Source: Information Technology Research Institute Working Paper Series ITRI-WP156-0111: Internet Resource: Accessed February 19, 2012 at http://itri.uark.edu/91.asp?code=completed&article=ITRI-WP156-0111

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://itri.uark.edu/91.asp?code=completed&article=ITRI-WP156-0111

Shelf Number: 124203

Keywords:
Radio-frequency Identification (RFID)
Retail Crime
Supply Chains

Author: Verité

Title: Compliance is Not Enough: Best Practices in Responding to The California Transparency in Supply Chains Act

Summary: The California Transparency in Supply Chains Act has focused company attention on the presence of human trafficking and modern-day slavery in supply chains. Yet standard social compliance responses will not be adequate to reduce company risks – or worker vulnerability – to these egregious problems. In this White Paper, Verité outlines the content of the Act, the sources of trafficking and forcedlabor risk, and what is necessary in order to address these problems adequately in supply chain production.

Details: Amherst, MA: Verité, 2011. 8p.

Source: White Paper: Internet Resource: Accessed March 11, 2012 at http://www.verite.org/sites/default/files/VTE_WhitePaper_California_Bill657FINAL5.pdf

Year: 2011

Country: United States

URL: http://www.verite.org/sites/default/files/VTE_WhitePaper_California_Bill657FINAL5.pdf

Shelf Number: 124451

Keywords:
Businesses and Crime (California)
Forced Labor (California)
Human Trafficking (California)
Slavery (California)
Supply Chains

Author: U.S. Government Accountability Office

Title: IT Supply Chain: National Security-Related Agencies Need to Better Address Risks

Summary: Federal agencies rely extensively on computerized information systems and electronic data to carry out their operations. The exploitation of information technology (IT) products and services through the global supply chain is an emerging threat that could degrade the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical and sensitive agency networks and data. GAO was asked to identify (1) the key risks associated with the IT supply chains used by federal agencies; (2) the extent to which selected national security-related departments have addressed such risks; and (3) the extent to which those departments have determined that their telecommunication networks contain foreign-developed equipment, software, or services. To do this, GAO analyzed federal acquisition and information security laws, regulations, standards, and guidelines; examined departmental policies and procedures; and interviewed officials from four national security-related departments, the intelligence community, and nonfederal entities. GAO is recommending that the Departments of Energy, Homeland Security, and Justice take steps, as needed, to develop and document policies, procedures, and monitoring capabilities that address IT supply chain risk. These departments generally concurred with GAO’s recommendations.

Details: Washington, DC: GAO, 2012. 40p.

Source: Internet Resource: GAO-12-361: Accessed April 9, 2012 at: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-361

Year: 2012

Country: United States

URL: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-361

Shelf Number: 124895

Keywords:
Homeland Security
Information Security
Supply Chains

Author: World Wildlife Fund Forest Programme

Title: The Russian-Chinese Timber Trade: Export, Supply Chains, Consumption, and Illegal Logging

Summary: Using statistical data from Russian government agencies and academic institutions, and field data and research by a great number of organizations, this report provides a comprehensive overview of the Russian-Chinese timber trade and illegal logging in Siberia and the Russian Far East (RFE). The report is part of a series of analyses and case studies prepared by WWF-Russia devoted to these issues. The report is based on data collected from 2002 to 2004. The text was finalized at the end of 2006, before the new Forest Code was enacted.

Details: Moscow: World Wildlife Fund, 2007. 50p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 14, 2012 at: http://www.wwf.ru/resources/publ/book/eng/234

Year: 2007

Country: Romania

URL: http://www.wwf.ru/resources/publ/book/eng/234

Shelf Number: 125255

Keywords:
Crimes Against the Environment
Forests
Illegal Logging (Russia)
Offenses Against the Environment
Supply Chains

Author: Ahokas, Juha

Title: Assuring Supply Chain Continuity in Industrial Supply Chains and Complying with Authorised Economical Operator AEO Europe. Final Version

Summary: Secure and reliable supply chains and networks enable companies to utilize global markets and resources. Outsourcing and globalization have enabled enterprises to extent their operations to new areas and benefit from economies of scale. Global logistic chains have turned out to be effective platform for the delivery of materials, semi-products and goods between the different economic areas and markets. The development has been beneficial to international companies and economic welfare has increased in several countries. On the other side, dynamic and complex supply chains enable opportunities for criminal action. They create platform for terrorism, crime and illegal competition. Some transnational and poly-crime oriented organized crime groups are aiming at controlling the whole production and distribution processes of entire criminal markets, optimizing profits and cutting out local and minor competitors, on a very rational way. To reach their goal they exploit transportation and financial sector, hire illicit labour to run and manage the supply chain, engage in money laundry, identity frauds and document forgery. International supply chains have turned out to be vulnerable for any crime actions and crime concerns have increased in companies and governments. Especially organized crime and terrorism pose threats to security and safety, to public health, to the environment or to consumers. Traditionally different companies and authorities have concentrated on securing their own operations and sphere of responsibilities. However, supply chain crimes are intertwined in supply chain operations, which transmit forward and reverse goods, services, cash and information. Relying only on inspections or border controls has proven to be always costly leaving doubts concerning the adequate inspection rate. Enterprises have very limited possibilities to self-acquire information related to the backgrounds of their business partners and prospect employees. Generally, crime is recognized to devastate social structures and fair competition. Additionally, private and political interest have emphasized crime preventive approach instead of post-crime measures, thus different kind of customs-government-trade partnerships are endorsed with mutual interest. The terrorist attacks in 2001 formed culmination point to concerns and approaches how to deal with terrorism and crime in supply chains. Since April 2002 several voluntary supply chain security programs and regulations have been established in global trade. The aim of the programs is simply to increase security in international supply chains. The companies fulfilling the security and safety criteria are considered to be secure and safe partners in the supply chain. The reliable traders respecting high standard security criteria benefit from trade facilitation measures: reduced data set for summary declarations, fewer physical and document-based controls, and priority treatment if selected for control. Supply chain security programs can be regarded as good international policy and practices when aiming at better secure supply chains against an intended posed crime act (theft, pilferage, money laundry, currency counterfeiting, industrial espionage, commodity counterfeiting, documents counterfeiting, malicious damage etc.). Additionally, implementation of programs have enabled several companies to gain collateral benefits, including better visibility to the supply chain, swifter response in case of any type of disruptions and lower insurance premiums. However, between security measures and benefits stands a black box, which makes unclear how security programs should be managed to maximize benefits. This publication aims at revealing the inner-side of the black-box. The guide presents and applies practices and procedures, which are approved in a sister discipline that is criminology. Rational choice and situational crime prevention are well-known approaches, which bring criminology down to earth in daily practices and decisions. Rational choice approach takes into consideration a variation and composition of potential crime offenders‘ motivations and capabilities to commit crimes. It supports security efforts and decisions concerning the strategic supply chain and operational design. Situational crime prevention approach provides tools to reduce the opportunities to commit crime and increase the risk of detection if deterrence fails. It focuses on crime opportunities in daily operations and resembles total quality management approach, which is well-known, proved and tried in supply chain and operational management. At last, situational crime prevention approach and total quality management approach are combined in new conceptual model for crime prevention in supply chains. AEO-programs are not self-explaining and self-executing programs. Quite the contrary, they just build a framework, where the compliance with requirements can be attained in several ways. We introduce an implementation model, which is based on teacher-learning cycle aiming at the most cost-efficient implementation in different companies and business units in various cultural conditions. Additionally, it supports government-private partnerships. The model is based on continuous improvement cycle. This guide has 10 chapters with following aims: Chapter 1 elucidates the background of supply chain security programs by presenting World Customs Organization‘s SAFE-program. Chapter 2 works as an incentive to start implementing AEO-supply chain security program. It lists potential benefits, which can be used as financial targets in implementation process. The list of benefits is based on comprehensive literature study. Chapter 3 describes how security issues are included in daily operations. Crime prevention and operational management practices are programmed in same conceptual framework. Chapter 4 elucidates AEO-requirements and appropriate security measures based on available security standards. Chapter 5 suggest methods allocate security resources in an efficient manner. Besides traditional risk assessment approach we emphasize inner-organizational co-operation and efficient communication when tracing crime related problems. Chapter 6 presents an implementation model based on continuous improvement and teaching-learning cycle. Chapter 7 presents customs AEO -audit approach. We give advises how the process could be conducted in an efficient way. Chapter 8 suggest an activity based cost management model, which makes security cost more transparent and traceable. Chapter 9 gives a short description concerning supply chain security technologies. Chapter 10 presents a short summary.

Details: Helsinki: Aalto University, School of Science and Technology, BIT Research Centre, 2012. 103p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 19, 2012 at: http://legacy-tuta.hut.fi/logistics/publications/Assuring_SC_Continuity.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: International

URL: http://legacy-tuta.hut.fi/logistics/publications/Assuring_SC_Continuity.pdf

Shelf Number: 126764

Keywords:
Cargo Security
Criminal Networks
National Security
Ports-of-Entry, Security
Rational Choice Theory
Situational Crime Prevention
Supply Chains
Terrorism

Author: Verité

Title: Research on Indicators of Forced Labor in the Supply Chain of Coffee in Guatemala

Summary: Verité carried out research on the presence of indicators of forced labor in the production of goods in seven countries from 2009 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 Guatemalan coffee 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. Objectives The primary objectives of the project were to:  obtain background information on Guatemala (place, people, product, policies), and programs);  create a methodology to study the presence of indicators of forced labor in the Guatemalan coffee sector;  identify and document indicators of forced labor among workers in the coffee sector of Guatemala;  document the broader working and living conditions that coffee sector workers experience; and  determine the risk factors for vulnerability to forced labor and other forms of exploitation in the coffee sector.

Details: Amherst, MA: Verite, 2012(?). 124p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 22, 2013 at: http://www.verite.org/sites/default/files/images/Research%20on%20Indicators%20of%20Forced%20Labor%20in%20the%20Guatemala%20Coffee%20Sector__9.16.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: Guatemala

URL: http://www.verite.org/sites/default/files/images/Research%20on%20Indicators%20of%20Forced%20Labor%20in%20the%20Guatemala%20Coffee%20Sector__9.16.pdf

Shelf Number: 128089

Keywords:
Coffee Industry
Forced Labor (Guatemala)
Human Rights Abuses
Supply Chains

Author: Verité

Title: Research on Indicators of Forced Labor in the Supply Chains of Brazil-Nuts, Cattle, Corn, and Peanuts in Bolivia

Summary: Verité carried out research on the presence of indicators to forced labor in the production of goods in seven countries from 2009 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 production of Brazil-nuts in the Amazon region of Bolivia and the production of cattle, corn, and peanuts in the Chaco region of Bolivia. This research was not intended to determine the existence or scale of forced labor in the regions and sectors under study, but rather to identify the presence of indicators of forced labor and factors that increased workers' vulnerability to labor exploitation. Objectives The primary objectives of the project were to:  obtain background information on Bolivia and the Amazon and Chaco regions (place, people, product, policies and programs);  create a methodology to study the presence of indicators of forced labor in production of Brazil-nuts in the Amazon region and cattle, corn, and peanut in the Chaco region;  identify and document indicators of forced labor among workers in the Brazil-nut sector in the Amazon region and cattle, corn, and peanut sectors in the Chaco region;  document the broader working and living conditions that Brazil-nut, cattle, corn, and peanut sector workers experience in the Amazon and Chaco regions; and  determine the risk factors for vulnerability to forced labor and other forms of exploitation in the Brazil-nut, cattle, corn, and peanut sectors in the Amazon and Chaco regions.

Details: Amherst, MA: Verité , 2012(?). 150p.

Source: Internet Resource: http://www.verite.org/sites/default/files/images/Research%20on%20Indicators%20of%20Forced%20Labor%20in%20the%20Bolivia%20Brazil-nut%2C%20Cattle%2C%20Corn%2C%20and%20Peanut%20Sectors__9.19.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: Bolivia

URL: http://www.verite.org/sites/default/files/images/Research%20on%20Indicators%20of%20Forced%20Labor%20in%20the%20Bolivia%20Brazil-nut%2C%20Cattle%2C%20Corn%2C%20and%20Peanut%20Sectors__9.19.pdf

Shelf Number: 128091

Keywords:
Forced Labor (Bolivia)
Human Rights Abuses
Supply Chains

Author: Symantec

Title: Internet Security Threat Report, 2013

Summary: The Internet Security Threat Report provides an overview and analysis of the year in global threat activity. The report is based on data from the Symantec Global Intelligence Network, which Symantec's analysts use to identify, analyze, and provide commentary on emerging trends in the dynamic threat landscape. Key Findings: 42% increase in targeted attacks in 2012. 31% of all targeted attacks aimed at businesses with less than 250 employees. One waterhole attack infected 500 organizations in a single day. 14 zero-day vulnerabilities. 32% of all mobile threats steal information. A single threat infected 600,000 Macs in 2012. Spam volume continued to decrease, with 69% of all email being spam. The number of phishing sites spoofing social networking sites increased 125%. Web-based attacks increased 30%. 5,291 new vulnerabilities discovered in 2012, 415 of them on mobile operating systems.

Details: Mountain View, CA: Symantic, 2013. 57p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 9, 2013 at: http://www.symantec.com/security_response/publications/threatreport.jsp

Year: 2013

Country: United States

URL: http://www.symantec.com/security_response/publications/threatreport.jsp

Shelf Number: 129336

Keywords:
Computer Crimes
Cyber Crime
Internet Crimes (U.S.)
Internet Security
Supply Chains

Author: Allain, Jean

Title: Forced Labour's Business Models and Supply Chains

Summary: This study analyses how businesses make money from forced labour. It develops a conceptual model of the business of forced labour and sets out the darker side of the labour supply chains of cannabis 'grow-ops', the construction industry and the food sector. Key points - This new conceptual model is based on the types of businesses conducting forced labour and how money is made from it. - How the UK economy functions (e.g. low business regulation and work/immigration policies) creates a pool of people who are vulnerable to forced labour. - Forced labour in the UK is not hidden. Mapping supply chains demonstrates not only where forced labour is likely to occur, but also where informality meets the formal economy. - Forced labour is associated with informality. The product and supply chains involved illustrate how informality becomes the gateway to forced labour. - Sector-specific conditions within the cannabis, construction and food industries allow for the possibility of forced labour as follows: - illegality of the product (cannabis); - volatility and self-regulation of labour providers (construction); and - seasonality (food). - Current approaches are limited in their effectiveness at preventing, detecting or prosecuting the crime of forced labour.

Details: York, UK: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2013. 77p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 2, 2014 at: http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jrf/forced-labour-business-full.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jrf/forced-labour-business-full.pdf

Shelf Number: 132613

Keywords:
Economic Crimes
Forced Labor
Supply Chains

Author: Verite

Title: Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in Persons in Federal and Corporate Supply Chains

Summary: More than twenty million men, women and children around the world are currently believed to be victims of human trafficking, a global criminal industry estimated to be worth $150.2 billion annually. As defined in the US Department of State's 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report), the terms "trafficking in persons" and "human trafficking" refer broadly to "the act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, or obtaining a person for compelled labor or commercial sex acts through the use of force, fraud, or coercion," irrespective of whether the person has been moved from one location to another. Trafficking in persons includes practices such as coerced sex work by adults or children, forced labor, bonded labor or debt bondage, involuntary domestic servitude, forced child labor, and the recruitment and use of child soldiers. Many different factors indicate that an individual may be in a situation of trafficking. Among the most clear-cut indicators are the experience of coercive or deceptive recruitment, restricted freedom of movement, retention of identity documents by employers, withholding of wages, debt bondage, abusive working and living conditions, forced overtime, isolation, and physical or sexual violence. The United States Government is broadly committed to combating trafficking in persons, as guided by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, and the UN Palermo Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. In September 2012, the United States took an unprecedented step in the fight against human trafficking with the release of a presidential executive order (EO) entitled "Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in Persons in Federal Contracts." In issuing this EO, the White House acknowledged that "as the largest single purchaser of goods and services in the world, the US Government has a responsibility to combat human trafficking at home and abroad, and to ensure American tax dollars do not contribute to this affront to human dignity." The EO prohibits human trafficking activities not just by federal prime contractors, but also by their employees, subcontractors, and subcontractor employees. Subsequent amendments to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Defense Acquisition Regulations System (DFARS) in the wake of the EO will affect a broad range of federal contracts, and will require scrutiny by prime contractors of subcontractor labor practices to a degree that has not previously been commonplace. Top level contractors will now need to look actively at the labor practices of their subcontractors and suppliers, and to consider the labor involved in production of inputs even at the lowest tiers of their supply chains.

Details: Amherst, MA: Verite, 2015. 152p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 31, 2015 at: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/237137.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/237137.pdf

Shelf Number: 134508

Keywords:
Child Labor
Forced Labor
Human Trafficking (U.S.)
Labor Practices
Organized Crime
Supply Chains

Author: Cho, Soo-Haeng

Title: Combating Strategic Counterfeiters in Licit and Illicit Supply Chains

Summary: Counterfeit goods are becoming more sophisticated, from shoes to infant milk powder to aircraft parts, creating problems for consumers, firms, and governments. By comparing two types of counterfeiters-deceptive, so infiltrating a licit (but complicit) distributor, or nondeceptive in an illicit channel-we provide insights into the impact of anticounterfeiting strategies on a brand-name company, a counterfeiter, and consumers. Our analysis highlights that the effectiveness of these strategies depends critically on whether a brand-name company faces a nondeceptive or deceptive counterfeiter. For example, by improving quality, the brand-name company can improve her expected profit against a nondeceptive counterfeiter when the counterfeiter steals an insignificant amount of brand value. However, the same strategy does not work well against the deceptive counterfeiter unless high quality facilitates the seizure of deceptive counterfeits significantly. Similarly, reducing price works well in combating the nondeceptive counterfeiter, but it could be ineffective against the deceptive counterfeiter. Moreover, the strategies that improve the profit of the brand-name company may benefit the counterfeiter inadvertently and even hurt consumer welfare. Therefore, firms and governments should carefully consider a trade-off among different objectives in implementing an anticounterfeiting strategy.

Details: Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon University - Tepper School of Business, 2014. 45p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 16, 2015 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1525743

Year: 2014

Country: United States

URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1525743

Shelf Number: 135682

Keywords:
Consumer Fraud
Consumer Protection
Counterfeit Products
Counterfeiting
Supply Chains

Author: Smit, Hans

Title: Implementing Deforestation-Free Supply Chains - Certification and Beyond

Summary: Deforestation and forest degradation result in biodiversity losses and are major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In an effort to delink agricultural production from deforestation, a growing number of companies and national governments are making public commitments to purchasing products which do not cause deforestation. SNV's REDD+ Energy and Agriculture Programme (REAP) published a report examining the role of agricultural certification standards in effectively halting forest conversion and explores some of the key ingredients which need to be in place in order to establish deforestation-free supply chains. Based on the findings, a toolkit is provided which can help to address identified challenges. The package consists of three components: a traceability and monitoring system, our Inclusive Business approach and the SNV Siting Tool. The toolkit is designed to assist companies and governments in going beyond certification standards in order to bring about the systemic changes needed to delink agricultural production from deforestation and forest degradation at a landscape level.

Details: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: SNV REDD+ Energy and Agriculture Programme, 2015. 39p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 23, 2015 at: http://www.snvworld.org/en/redd/publications/implementing-deforestation-free-supply-chains-certification-and-beyond

Year: 2015

Country: International

URL: http://www.snvworld.org/en/redd/publications/implementing-deforestation-free-supply-chains-certification-and-beyond

Shelf Number: 135776

Keywords:
Deforestation
Forests
Natural Resources
Offenses Against the Environment
Supply Chains

Author: International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)

Title: Roles and Responsibilities of Intermediaries: Fighting Counterfeiting and Piracy in the Supply Chain

Summary: Millions of intermediaries are operating throughout the global supply chain and the vast majority of these players are conscientious, trustworthy and reliable partners. ICC's own membership includes millions of companies: many are brand and copyright owners; many are intermediaries; and others have no direct interest or link to the topics covered in this paper. So while this paper does not and cannot reflect the views of all ICC members, nor is it a consensus of the global business community, it has undertaken to ensure accuracy, balance and consistency with ICC's long-standing opposition to counterfeiting and piracy, intellectual property rights infringement, unfair trade, illegal commerce and corruption. For the most part, this body of work substantiates actions intermediaries are already taking independently or in collaboration with rights holders and government authorities to deal with supply chain vulnerabilities. Where these current efforts have been inadequate in protecting against IP infringements, suggestions for better or best practices are put forward. The result is a product that challenges the status quo and offers a roadmap for discussion, collaboration and resolution. We offer the findings and suggested best practices as a springboard for an ongoing dialog among trademark and copyright owners, intermediaries and governments to find solutions to the infiltration of counterfeiting and piracy into the legitimate supply chain. Our hope is that the suggested best practices will help responsible intermediaries more effectively deal with vulnerabilities in their operations and encourage intermediaries who knowingly facilitate IP infringement to stop.

Details: Paris: ICC and BASCAP, 2015. 108p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 16, 2015 at: http://www.gacg.org/Content/Upload/Documents/2015%20BASCAP%20Intermediares_HR%20(1)%20(1).pdf

Year: 2015

Country: International

URL: http://www.gacg.org/Content/Upload/Documents/2015%20BASCAP%20Intermediares_HR%20(1)%20(1).pdf

Shelf Number: 137197

Keywords:
Counterfeit Goods
Counterfeit Products
Crimes Against Businesses
Product Counterfeiting
Product Piracy
Supply Chains

Author: Mundy, Victoria

Title: Traceability Systems in the CITES Context: A review of experiences, best practices and lessons learned for the traceability of commodities of CITES-listed shark species

Summary: At its 27th meeting (AC27, Veracruz, 2014), the CITES4 Animals Committee agreed on a number of recommendations relevant to addressing the implementation challenges posed by the inclusion of five species of sharks and both species of manta ray Manta spp. in CITES Appendix II at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP16, Bangkok, 2013). These recommendations, which support implementation of CITES Resolution Conf. 12.6 (Rev. CoP16) on the Conservation and management of sharks, were considered at the 65th meeting of the CITES Standing Committee (SC65, Geneva) in July 20145 and an intersessional working group was established with a mandate to consider these recommendations. The current project contributes to the fulfillment of the following recommendations agreed at AC27 (paragraph numbers refer to SC65 Doc. 46 on sharks and rays) and will support the deliberations of the Standing Committee intersessional working group on sharks: - Paragraph o) The Animals Committee requests the Standing Committee, at its 65th meeting, to consider relevant matters relating to the implementation of shark listings, including the following: o ii. Issues pertaining to chain of custody, including where in the trade chain it is considered essential to be able to identify the products in trade; - Paragraph p) Both the Standing Committee and the Animals Committee should review the requirements that have been developed for the trade in processed product types of Appendix II species such as crocodile skins, caviar etc. and consider their applicability to shark products containing Appendix II species. Specifically, this report presents the findings of a review of traceability systems that have been developed in the CITES context for the trade in processed product types of Appendix II-listed species. The report considers the experiences, lessons learned and best practices from these case studies for ensuring the traceability of products of shark species listed in CITES Appendix II, and analyses the potential for establishing an effective traceability system - along the lines of those already developed in the CITES context - for shark commodities. For a review of the market chain and other traceability systems developed for commercially exploited aquatic species, see Andre (2013) and the following report produced for the CITES Secretariat: Traceability study in shark products (Lehr et al., 2015). The case studies of focus in this report are traceability systems developed for sturgeon caviar, crocodile skins, Queen Conch Strombus gigas, and timber, and/or related developments, as appropriate. These examples were selected as case studies, in light of experience and recent progress on issues relating to traceability and the potential to provide relevant guidance for the traceability of CITES-listed shark products. The remainder of this report is structured as follows: - Section 2 provides an overview of the methods used to gather information for this report. - Section 3 provides a brief explanation of traceability and how this operates in the CITES context. - Section 4 presents the results of the review of traceability systems developed for sturgeon caviar, crocodile skins, Queen Conch and timber in the CITES context. - Section 5 assesses the use of traceability measures for commodities of CITES Appendix II-listed shark species, based on the experiences, lessons learned and best practices identified in the review of CITES systems.

Details: Cambridge, UK: TRAFFIC, 2015. 90p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 13, 2016 at: http://www.traffic.org/home/2016/1/7/new-traffic-study-throws-light-on-supply-chain-traceability.html

Year: 2015

Country: International

URL: http://www.traffic.org/home/2016/1/7/new-traffic-study-throws-light-on-supply-chain-traceability.html

Shelf Number: 137573

Keywords:
Sharks
Supply Chains
Wildlife Crime
Wildlife Trafficking

Author: Verite

Title: Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in Persons in Federal and Corporate Supply Chains. Research on Risk in 43 Commodities Worldwide

Summary: This report presents narratives on 43 of the world's most important primary commodities. To produce these reports for each primary commodity, a multitude of data was assembled on global production and trade patterns (principal countries of production and consumption, and export-import data for key producers, importers, and the United States), reports of forced labor and/or child labor associated with the commodity, and the names of any countries in which trafficking-related problems have been reported in association with the commodity. Using the general information assembled as a starting point, each key commodity was then researched in depth, with the findings compiled into comprehensive commodity analyses. Thus, each individual commodity report provides background on the production patterns and labor practices involved in the specific industry in question. Each report also describes the connection, if any, between the commodity and forced labor and/or child labor. When available, case studies are provided of documented instances of human trafficking in the industry. The following reports also describe the structure of the supply chain for each commodity and any links to other supply chains for which the commodity is a key input, and review any government or industry initiatives that exist to reduce human trafficking in conjunction with the commodity in question. In the case of some commodities, no cases of human trafficking have been documented. In these commodity reports, efforts were made only to describe supply chain dynamics and general labor practices, to the degree that information was available. Therefore, these reports do not constitute a definitive list of commodities tainted by human trafficking. Given data limitations, it was necessary to examine other indicators, and one key indicator of risk that was used was the incidence of child labor. Child labor can vary considerably from sector to sector, country to country, and household to household, and it is not human trafficking per se. For these purposes, however, child labor may provide an indicator of risk for forced labor, given that the drivers for both may be similar, such as demand for cheap, exploitable, unskilled labor, poverty, unequal access to education, and exclusionary social attitudes based on caste, gender, immigration status, or ethnicity. That said, description of child labor risk in the commodity reports should not be used exclusively to evaluate the risk of trafficking in a supply chain, but should instead be understood as providing additional context.

Details: Amherst, MA: Verite, 2016. 206p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 22, 2016 at: http://www.verite.org/sites/default/files/images/Verite-CommodityReports-2016%200229.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: International

URL: http://www.verite.org/sites/default/files/images/Verite-CommodityReports-2016%200229.pdf

Shelf Number: 138377

Keywords:
Child Labor
Child Trafficking
Forced Labor
Human Trafficking
Supply Chains

Author: Verite

Title: The Nexus of Illegal Gold Mining and Human Trafficking in Global Supply Chains: Lessons from Latin America

Summary: Research carried out by Verite has found that Latin American countries export staggering amounts of illegally mined gold tied to human trafficking. This presents legal and reputational risks for major companies with gold in their supply chains. The paper, The Nexus of Illegal Gold Mining and Human Trafficking in Global Supply Chains, provides analysis of the risk of labor trafficking linked to illegal gold mining in Latin America, drawing upon in-depth field research carried out by Verite in Peru in 2012-2013 and in Colombia in 2015, and desk research carried out across the Latin American region. The diminishing supply and increasing demand for gold, combined with criminal and armed groups' quest for new sources of illicit revenue, have contributed to a surge in illegal extraction of gold from increasingly remote and lawless regions. Latin America is a vitally important player in the global gold trade, contributing 20 percent of the world's gold production in 2013. Latin American countries, along with Canada (which is a major conduit for Latin American gold), constitute all top ten exporters of gold to the United States. In several Latin American countries, unregulated illegal and informal mines account for over 75 percent of gold produced. In Peru and Colombia-the two largest cocaine producers in the world-the value of illegal gold exports has in recent years surpassed the value of cocaine exports, becoming the largest illicit export from these two countries. In Latin America, and elsewhere in the world, illegally mined gold is strongly linked to human trafficking and other labor abuses as these mines are usually located in areas with a weak presence of government authorities and a strong presence of armed and criminal groups. Verite's in-depth research in Peru found many other indicators of forced labor in illegal gold mining, all of which increase the risk of human trafficking. In Colombia, both men and women were found to be vulnerable to labor trafficking in mines controlled by armed and criminal groups. Small-scale artisanal miners, who should in no way be confused with the groups that control illegal mines, are also increasingly vulnerable to becoming victims of debt bondage, both because they are extorted by these groups and because some governments treat them as criminals rather than as potential victims. In addition, illegal gold mining is closely associated with child labor, severe threats to workers' health and safety, and sex trafficking. Child labor - including forced child labor-is common in illegal gold mining. While children are generally employed in peripheral services such as tire and motorcycle repair and stores, teenagers are employed in many of the most dangerous jobs in illegal gold mines, such as swimming in mercury-filled pools of water to suck up gold-laced sand with powerful hoses, risking drowning and being disemboweled by the powerful hoses. Workers also face mine collapses and explosions, repetitive tasks, heavy work, and exposure to extreme heat, dust, noise, tropical illnesses, and mercury and cyanide. Verite field research found that sex trafficking, including of girls as young as 12, is extremely pervasive in illegal mining areas. Illegally mined gold is "laundered" and exported, with the help of corrupt government officials, to prominent refineries, which supply some of the biggest central banks, jewelry companies, and electronics producers in the world. In contrast to other goods produced by organized criminal groups such as cocaine or heroin, illegally mined gold can easily be laundered, after which it becomes a legitimate consumer commodity that moves easily and legally across international borders. The ubiquity of illegally-mined gold and the lack of transparency upstream of most gold refineries means that companies buying gold from major refineries are often at risk of illegally mined gold entering their supply chains. A Verite analysis of Dodd-Frank Act compliance records found that 72 of the Fortune 500 companies filed conflict mineral reports during 2015 listing the smelters and refineries from which they obtained their gold the previous year. Verite found that approximately 90 percent of these companies purchased gold from refineries that have demonstrated a pattern of purchasing illegally mined gold from Latin America. Companies that source illegally produced gold from Latin America face severe reputational and legal risks, including potential liability under a number of statutes covering company complicity in trafficking in persons, forced and child labor, organized crime, corruption, and conflict minerals. Some of these statutes stipulating steep fines for companies and even long jail sentences for their executives. Combatting illegal gold mining and the human and labor rights abuses that accompany it requires a coordinated, multi-pronged approach by the governments of gold producing countries, as well as the countries and companies that import gold. While some Latin American governments have recently stepped up efforts to prosecute individuals and companies that illegally extract and export gold, the governments of gold importing countries have thus far done relatively little to hold accountable the companies that import this gold, although they have the tools and mandate to do so. Companies must also take steps to ensure that they are not responsible for perpetuating organized crime, violence, corruption, and human trafficking by purchasing, directly or indirectly, illegally mined gold from Latin America.

Details: Amherst, MA: Verite, 2016. 17p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 30, 2016 at: http://www.verite.org/sites/default/files/Verite-Report-Illegal_Gold_Mining.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: Latin America

URL: http://www.verite.org/sites/default/files/Verite-Report-Illegal_Gold_Mining.pdf

Shelf Number: 140083

Keywords:
Child Labor
Conflict Minerals
Forced Labor
Gold Mining
Human Trafficking
Natural Resources
Organized Crime
Supply Chains

Author: Masse, Frederic

Title: Due Diligence in Colombia's Gold Supply Chain

Summary: The OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas (hereafter OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Minerals) provides detailed recommendations to help companies respect human rights and avoid contributing to conflict through their mineral purchasing decisions and practices. The Due Diligence Guidance is for use by any company potentially sourcing minerals or metals from conflict-affected and high-risk areas and is global in scope. Colombia adhered to the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Minerals in May 2012. To support implementation efforts by producing countries, the OECD commissioned a baseline assessment of the gold supply chain in Colombia. The aim of the baseline assessment is to analyse the gold mining sector in Colombia and the potential to build responsible mineral supply chains as defined in the Due Diligence Guidance for Minerals. The assessment should furthermore assess stakeholders' awareness of supply chain risks, the Due Diligence Guidance and the level of implementation - if any - of due diligence initiatives and related government initiatives that could be leveraged. The assessment should lead to strategic recommendations on how to advance responsible sourcing in the gold sector in a manner that makes a positive contribution to socioeconomic development of producer countries and communities. The following overview report is the first of a series of baseline assessment and aims to develop an initial approach and analysis for how risks outlined in Annex II of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Minerals are relevant in the Colombian context. The research for this report was undertaken by independent experts in 2015 and is based on previous research, new analysis of secondary sources, and exploratory interviews with key stakeholders in the mining and security sectors in Colombia.3 This initial report will be complemented by five regional case studies (phase II) and a concluding report (phase III) assessing ongoing due diligence and traceability projects and outlining recommendations on how these can be leveraged, improved and scaled up.

Details: Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 2016. 48p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 30, 2016 at: https://mneguidelines.oecd.org/Colombia-gold-supply-chain-overview.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: Colombia

URL: https://mneguidelines.oecd.org/Colombia-gold-supply-chain-overview.pdf

Shelf Number: 140534

Keywords:
Conflict Minerals
Gold
Illegal Mining
Natural Resources
Organized Crime
Supply Chains

Author: Crates, Emma

Title: Building a Fairer System: Tackling Modern Slavery in Construction Supply Chains

Summary: The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is calling for greater industry collaboration to eradicate unfair labour practices. Clients and tier one organisations need to take greater responsibility for their supply chains. Priority should be given to tackling illegal recruitment fees, according to a new report Building a fairer system: tackling modern slavery in construction supply chains, launched today (Wednesday 13 July). The report, produced in consultation with a number of businesses and NGOs, including Amnesty International, Verite, Engineers Against Poverty and the Institute for Human Rights and Business, examines the root causes of slavery, and sets out priority actions for moving the industry towards greater transparency. Slavery remains a problem hidden in many sectors. The International Labour Organization estimates that there are 21 million people in forced labour around the world, generating profits in the private economy of $150 billion. Interpol estimates that only 5 to 10 per cent of cases are ever reported. With its fragmented supply chains, opaque procurement processes and high demand for migrant labour, the construction sector faces a unique set of challenges in tackling human rights abuses. It is a priority area for the UK's first Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Kevin Hyland OBE, who writes a foreword for the report. Building a fairer system examines how workers from developing countries become tricked or coerced into paying illegal and extortionate recruitment fees, and, once in debt, become vulnerable to exploitation in their place of work. Abuses range from forced or bonded labour, late payment, unsanitary living conditions, unfair deductions from wages, withheld passports and loss of freedom of movement, lack of representation, violence, intimidation and physical abuse. The report also examines how faults in the procurement process allow exploitative practices to remain hidden in building materials supply chains. It includes a series of case studies and recommendations from organisations that are working to shift cultural practices and norms: How ethical recruitment firm FSI Worldwide‘s integrated cross-border operations are eradicating illegal recruitment fees The steps that CH2M has taken to implement a new global worker welfare policy Hewlett Packard’s move to direct labour Qatar Rail’s worker welfare strategy Marshalls’ ten-year initiative to protect vulnerable children and migrant workers in stone quarrying communities Bechtel’s "bottom up" approach to tackle exploitation in metal mining.

Details: Bracknell, UK:Chartered Institute of Building, 2016. 31p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 10, 2016 at: https://policy.ciob.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CIOB_Modern_Day_Slavery_WEB.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United Kingdom

URL: https://policy.ciob.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CIOB_Modern_Day_Slavery_WEB.pdf

Shelf Number: 146971

Keywords:
Construction Industry
Illegal Practices
Labor Practices
Migrant Workers
Modern Slavery
Supply Chains

Author: U.S. Federal Communications Commission

Title: Cybersecurity Risk Reduction

Summary: Cybersecurity is a top priority for the Commission. The rapid growth of network-connected consumer devices creates particular cybersecurity challenges. The Commission's oversight of our country's privately owned and managed communications networks is an important component of the larger effort to protect critical communications infrastructure and the American public from malicious cyber actors. The Commission is uniquely situated to comprehensively address this issue given its authority over the use of radio spectrum as well as the connections to, and interconnections between, commercial networks, which touch virtually every aspect of our economy. Other agencies have also begun looking at network-connected devices and the security implications they bring in certain industry segments. The Commission's rules include obligations for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to take measures to protect their networks from harmful interconnected devices. These rules make clear that providers not only have the latitude to take actions to protect consumers from harm, but have the responsibility to do so. Reasonable network management must include practices to ensure network security and integrity, including by "addressing traffic harmful to the network," such as denial of service attacks. The Public Safety and Homeland Security’s (PSHSB or Bureau) cybersecurity initiatives build upon FCC rules that have, for decades, effectively evolved to balance security, privacy, and innovation within the telecommunications market. The U.S. telecommunications market leads the world as a consequence of this light touch, but surgical, approach. Commission staff actively work with stakeholders to address cyber challenges presented by today's end-to-end Internet environment. This environment is vastly different and more challenging than the legacy telecommunications security environment that preceded it. Today insecure devices, connected through wireless networks, have shut down service to millions of customers by attacking critical control utilities neither licensed nor directly regulated by the Commission. These attacks highlight that security vulnerabilities inherent in devices attached to networks now can have large-scale impacts. As the end-to-end Internet user experience continues to expand and diversify, the Commission's ability to reduce cyber risk for individuals and businesses will continue to be taxed. But shifting this risk oversight responsibility to a non-regulatory body would not be good policy. It would be resource intensive and ultimately drive dramatic federal costs and still most certainly fail to address the risk for over 30,000 communications service providers and their vendor base. The Commission must address these cyber challenges to protect consumers using telecommunications networks. Cyber risk crosses corporate and national boundaries, making it imperative that private sector leadership in the communications sector step up its responsibility and accountability for cyber risk reduction. In this vein, the Commission has worked closely with its Federal Advisory Committees (FAC), as well as with its federal partners and other stakeholders, to foster standards and best practices for cyber risk reduction. The Commission worked with the other regulatory agencies to create a forum whereby agency principals share best regulatory practices and coordinate our approaches for reducing cybersecurity risk. A rich body of recommendations, including voluntary best practices, is the result. Industry implementation of these practices must be part of any effort to reduce cybersecurity risk. The Commission, however cannot rely solely on organic market incentives to reduce cyber risk in the communications sector. As private actors, ISPs operate in economic environments that pressure against investments that do not directly contribute to profit. Protective actions taken by one ISP can be undermined by the failure of other ISPs to take similar actions. This weakens the incentive of all ISPs to invest in such protections. Cyber-accountability therefore requires a combination of market-based incentives and appropriate regulatory oversight where the market does not, or cannot, do the job effectively. PSHSB has developed a portfolio of programs to address cybersecurity risk in the telecommunications sector in a responsible manner. These initiatives include collaborative efforts with key Internet stakeholder groups; increased interagency cooperation; and regulatory solutions to address residual risks that are unlikely to be addressed by market forces alone. This white paper describes the risk reduction portfolio of the current Commission and suggests actions that would continue to affirmatively reduce cyber risk in a manner that incents competition, protects consumers, and reduces significant national security risks.

Details: Washington, dC: Federal Communications Commission, 2017. 56p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 11, 2017 at: http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2017/db0118/DOC-343096A1.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: United States

URL: http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2017/db0118/DOC-343096A1.pdf

Shelf Number: 145022

Keywords:
Cybercrime
Cybersecurity
Internet Crime
Internet Security
Supply Chains
Telecommunications

Author: Schouwstra, Robert

Title: Strengthening the security and Integrity of the Precious Metals Supply Chain

Summary: In its resolution 2013/38 entitled "Combating transnational organized crime and its possible links to illicit trafficking in precious metals," the Economic and Social Council calls upon the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) to conduct a comprehensive study on the possible links between transnational organized crime, other criminal activities and illicit trafficking in precious metals. UNICRI has developed a programme to promote an international strategy to combat illicit trafficking in precious metals, in which the comprehensive study requested in ECOSOC resolution 2013/38 is the major component of an Assessment Phase to be followed by an Operational Phase. An Expert Meeting on "Promoting an international strategy to combat illicit trafficking in precious metals," organised by UNICRI in September 2015 in Turin (Italy), allowed the collection of experts' views on the issues and challenges that needed to be addressed and emphasized in the study. The present technical report aims at giving a comprehensive overview of the current trends related to precious metals trafficking, in particular it focuses on the precious metals supply chain, the different threats and challenges hanging over this market - including the involvement of organised crime groups and associated criminal activities - as well as the regulatory frameworks and initiatives in place to guarantee the integrity of the supply chain. The knowledge acquired throughout this report is used to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to address the challenges. A series of recommendations concerning the implementation of an international strategy to prevent and combat illicit trafficking in precious metals are included in the assessment. The report is intended to address the following research questions and sub-questions: - What is the extent of illicit trafficking in precious metals? - Is illicit trafficking in precious metals linked to transnational organized crime and other associated criminal activities? - Is illicit trafficking in precious metals linked to terrorist activities? - What are the vulnerabilities of the precious metals supply chain? - How can illicit trafficking in precious metals be prevented and countered? - What are the strengths and weaknesses of existing initiatives?

Details: Torino - Italy: United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), 2016. 123p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 6, 2017 at: http://files.unicri.it/PM_draft_onlinev.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: International

URL: http://files.unicri.it/PM_draft_onlinev.pdf

Shelf Number: 145328

Keywords:
Illicit Trafficking
Natural Resources
Organized Crime
Precious Metals
Supply Chain Security
Supply Chains
Terrorism
Trafficking in Metals

Author: Verite

Title: Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in Persons in Federal and Corporate Supply Chains: Research on Risk in 43 Commodities Worldwide

Summary: More than twenty million men, women and children around the world are currently believed to be victims of human trafficking, a global criminal industry estimated to be worth $150.2 billion annually. As defined in the US Department of State's 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report), the terms "trafficking in persons" and "human trafficking" refer broadly to "the act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, or obtaining a person for compelled labor or commercial sex acts through the use of force, fraud, or coercion," irrespective of whether the person has been moved from one location to another. Trafficking in persons includes practices such as coerced sex work by adults or children, forced labor, bonded labor or debt bondage, involuntary domestic servitude, forced child labor, and the recruitment and use of child soldiers. Many different factors indicate that an individual may be in a situation of trafficking. Among the most clear-cut indicators are the experience of coercive or deceptive recruitment, restricted freedom of movement, retention of identity documents by employers, withholding of wages, debt bondage, abusive working and living conditions, forced overtime, isolation, and physical or sexual violence. The United States Government is broadly committed to combating trafficking in persons, as guided by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, and the UN Palermo Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. In September 2012, the United States took an unprecedented step in the fight against human trafficking with the release of a presidential executive order (EO) entitled "Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in Persons in Federal Contracts." In issuing this EO, the White House acknowledged that "as the largest single purchaser of goods and services in the world, the US Government has a responsibility to combat human trafficking at home and abroad, and to ensure American tax dollars do not contribute to this affront to human dignity." The EO prohibits human trafficking activities not just by federal prime contractors, but also by their employees, subcontractors, and subcontractor employees. Subsequent amendments to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Defense Acquisition Regulations System (DFARS) in the wake of the EO will affect a broad range of federal contracts, and will require scrutiny by prime contractors of subcontractor labor practices to a degree that has not previously been commonplace. Top level contractors will now need to look actively at the labor practices of their subcontractors and suppliers, and to consider the labor involved in production of inputs even at the lowest tiers of their supply chains.

Details: Amherst, MA: Verite, 2017. 355p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 25, 2017 at: https://www.verite.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/EO-and-Commodity-Reports-Combined-FINAL-2017.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: International

URL: https://www.verite.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/EO-and-Commodity-Reports-Combined-FINAL-2017.pdf

Shelf Number: 145793

Keywords:
Child Labor
Child Trafficking
Forced Labor
Human Trafficking
Supply Chains

Author: FishWise

Title: Trafficked: Human Rights Abuses in the Seafood Industry

Summary: It is important for companies to focus on social responsibility in supply chains, especially human rights, in order to demonstrate a real commitment to people, planet, and profit. Documentation of human trafficking and forced labor in seafood supply chains has been growing with increasing media attention, nongovernmental organization (NGO) investigations, and government reports. Discussions of environmental sustainability within the seafood industry are now commonplace, but efforts to improve human rights in the industry are nascent and just beginning to gain the momentum necessary to catalyze real change. In the last five years, seafood companies have created sustainable seafood sourcing policies, and are now working to meet the commitments within them. Human and labor rights are often not incorporated into these policies for seafood, as the historical focus of such efforts has been on industries such as coffee, minerals, and textiles. The seafood industry is not free of these concerns however, and the time is ripe for companies to expand their sustainable seafood policies to address these issues. This is appropriate because environmental sustainability and human rights issues do not operate independently. Vessels and companies operating illegally often commit environmental and social crimes in tandem. Eliminating human rights abuses in seafood supply chains is not an easy task. Challenges include corruption, exemptions within international standards for fishing vessels, lack of transparency via the use of flags of convenience and transhipment, the globalized nature of the supply chain, lack of enforcement, incomplete traceability, and the prevalence of illegal fishing. Amidst these challenges there are also opportunities. Brand value, shareholder opinion, and corporate social responsibility can benefit from companies addressing this issue in an honest and transparent manner. After improvements have been made, companies can actively promote the associated success stories, such as social and fair trade compliance, engagement in fishery improvements, and support for entrepreneurial ventures in the developing world. An important step toward mitigating, and eventually eliminating these risks is to ensure comprehensive traceability systems are in place throughout the supply chain. Additionally, companies need to create policies to ensure specific attention is paid to address human rights in seafood supply chains. Conducting a risk assessment, seeking certification, and creating fishery improvement projects to address deficiencies can help companies improve and meet their commitments. Engaging with countries to ratify and implement relevant legislation, eliminating illegal fishing globally, and contributing financially to international efforts to aid victims of trafficking will also enable progress. Lastly, communicating success stories and transparent self-reporting will inform consumers and stakeholders of the problem and ensure they are aware of companies' progress towards eliminating modern slavery and illegal fishing. This white paper aims to: 1) serve as a resource for seafood businesses seeking to prevent and eliminate human rights abuses in their supply chains and 2) improve the knowledge base and coordination of NGOs and other groups working on human and labor rights within the industry. It provides an overview of human rights issues in seafood supply chains, and then explores how more than fifty international and regional government programs, certification systems, NGOs, companies, and industry groups are working on human and labor rights. Companies can review the recommended next steps in this report to address human rights within their own businesses

Details: Santa Cruz, CA: FishWise, 2013. 55p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 26, 2017 at: https://www.fishwise.org/images/pdfs/fishwise_human_rights_seafood_white_paper_nov_2013.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: International

URL: https://www.fishwise.org/images/pdfs/fishwise_human_rights_seafood_white_paper_nov_2013.pdf

Shelf Number: 145801

Keywords:
Fishing Industry
Forced Labor
Human Rights Abuses
Maritime Crime
Modern Slavery
Seafood Industry
Supply Chains

Author: FishWise

Title: Trafficked II: An Updated Summary of Human Rights Abuses in the Seafood Industry

Summary: Media outlets are increasingly covering human rights abuses in seafood supply chains all over the world. Unfortunately, many seafood companies who have worked hard to create environmentally sustainable seafood sourcing policies remain unaware that human rights abuses are occurring, most likely in their own supply chains. These companies have made a commitment to provide their customers with environmentally sustainable seafood products, a commitment that could be undermined by these human rights abuses. Trafficking and forced labor, among other abuses, have been documented in several supply chains of popular seafood items in the United States. In such supply chains human rights abuses are not the only concern - often fishing interests that commit social crimes against their workers are also committing environmental crimes. The time has come for companies to take responsibility for both environmental sustainability and social aspects of their seafood supply chains. This can reduce the risk of negative attention as documented human rights abuses continue to grab headlines and also provide opportunities to improve brand value with consumers. This is the second release of a white paper that aims to serve as a resource for seafood businesses seeking to prevent and eliminate such human rights abuses. It provides an overview of both human rights issues in seafood supply chains and the major challenges to reform, including corruption, lack of transparency, lack of enforcement, and the prevalence of illegal fishing. It explores how more than fifty international and regional government programs, certification systems, NGOs, companies, and industry groups are working on human and labor rights. Companies can use the recommended steps in this report to address human rights in an honest and transparent manner. This report can also serve as a tool to help conservation NGOs and human rights experts join forces to improve human rights in the seafood industry. Human rights experts have traditionally focused their work on industries such as coffee, minerals and textiles and are not familiar with the seafood industry. Many ocean conservation groups lack this expertise, but have extensive knowledge of the seafood industry. This paper explores ways to connect these two important allies. This revised version includes: - An updated summary of media stories and reports on human rights abuses in seafood supply chains that have been released since November 2013. - The results of an online survey of the following stakeholder groups: NGOs, the seafood industry, and seafood consumers. - Additional groups working on human rights that could serve as resources on these issues.

Details: Santa Cruz, CA: FishWise, 2014. 69p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 26, 2017 at: https://www.fishwise.org/images/pdfs/Trafficked_II_FishWise_2014.pdf

Year: 2014

Country: International

URL: https://www.fishwise.org/images/pdfs/Trafficked_II_FishWise_2014.pdf

Shelf Number: 145804

Keywords:
Fishing Industry
Forced Labor
Human Rights Abuses
Maritime Crime
Modern Slavery
Seafood Industry
Supply Chains

Author: McGrath, Siobhan

Title: Addressing the demand side in and through supply chains: Mapping the field of initiatives around human trafficking forced labour and slavery

Summary: This working paper presents the first piece of data collection and analysis from WP9 'Globalised Production of Goods,' part of the overall DemandAT project. The paper offers a preliminary analysis of an inventory of initiatives around human trafficking and supply chains. We first consider how demand may be understood in the context of supply chains in relation to concerns around trafficking, forced labour and/or slavery (TFLS). We further begin to map the field of interventions at the TFLS-supply chain nexus. We analyse the range of actors involved, the forms that the initiatives take in terms of the mechanisms by which they would operate, and the scope of initiatives both in terms of industry and geography. The field of initiatives at the TFLS-supply chain nexus is seen to be growing quickly, and exhibits a high degree of variegation.

Details: Vienna, Austria: DemandAT, 2017. 38p.

Source: Internet Resource: DemandAT Working Paper No. 8: Accessed August 8, 2017 at: http://www.demandat.eu/sites/default/files/DemandAT_WP8_McGrathMieres_SupplyChains_Final.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: International

URL: http://www.demandat.eu/sites/default/files/DemandAT_WP8_McGrathMieres_SupplyChains_Final.pdf

Shelf Number: 146780

Keywords:
Forced Labor
Human Trafficking
Modern Slavery
Supply Chains

Author: Mieres, Fabiola

Title: Globalised Production of Goods: Project report

Summary: This report gathers the experience and presents the emerging results of research conducted by academics at Durham University's Geography Department on 'Globalised Production of Goods,' their contribution to thet DemandAT project. Data collection and preliminary analysis were carried out by Fabiola Mieres, PhD during the period November 2014-November 2016 and supervised by Siobhan McGrath, PhD. The overall aim of the research is to analyse existing and proposed initiatives to address trafficking, forced labour and/or (contemporary) slavery (which we term TFLS) in supply chains. The report is structured around the two key forms of data collection we conducted: first, the identification and mapping of 97 initiatives in the nascent field of governance over TFLS in and through supply chains (the TFLS-supply chain nexus). The dataset shows the variegated forms that this governance takes. Its construction further served as a source from which to choose case studies for further analysis by locating a group of initiatives in particular sectors. Second, we discuss the three case studies: electronics in Malaysia, construction in Qatar, and agriculture in the United States. Finally, preliminary conclusions are drawn with some indicators of potential areas for future research.

Details: Vienna, Australia: DemandAT, 2017. 74p.

Source: Internet Resource: DemandAT WP 9 Case Study: Accessed August 8, 2017 at: http://www.demandat.eu/sites/default/files/DemandAT_Globalised_Production_of_Goods_ProjectReport.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: International

URL: http://www.demandat.eu/sites/default/files/DemandAT_Globalised_Production_of_Goods_ProjectReport.pdf

Shelf Number: 146782

Keywords:
Forced Labor
Human Trafficking
Supply Chains

Author: Great Britain. Home Office

Title: Transparency in Supply Chains etc. A practical guide

Summary: Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires certain organisations to develop a slavery and human trafficking statement each year. The slavery and human trafficking statement should set out what steps organisations have taken to ensure modern slavery is not taking place in their business or supply chains. This document provides guidance on: who is required to publish a statement how to write a slavery and human trafficking statement how to approve and publish the statement

Details: London: Home Office, 2017. 46p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 1, 2017 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/649906/Transparency_in_Supply_Chains_A_Practical_Guide_2017.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: United Kingdom

URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/649906/Transparency_in_Supply_Chains_A_Practical_Guide_2017.pdf

Shelf Number: 148680

Keywords:
Corporate Crime
Forced Labor
Human Trafficking
Modern Slavery
Supply Chains

Author: Symantec

Title: Internet Security Threat Report. Volume 23

Summary: From the sudden spread of WannaCry and Petya/NotPetya, to the swift growth in coin miners, 2017 provided us with another reminder that digital security threats can come from new and unexpected sources. With each passing year, not only has the sheer volume of threats increased, but the threat landscape has become more diverse, with attackers working harder to discover new avenues of attack and cover their tracks while doing so. Coin mining attacks explode Cyber criminals who have been firmly focused on ransomware for revenue generation are now starting to explore other opportunities. During the past year, the astronomical rise in crypto currency values inspired many cyber criminals to shift to coin mining as an alternative revenue source. This coin mining gold rush resulted in an 8,500 percent increase in detections of coinminers on endpoint computers in 2017. With a low barrier of entry-only requiring a couple lines of code to operate-cyber criminals are using coin miners to steal computer processing power and cloud CPU usage from consumers and enterprises to mine crypto currency. While the immediate impact of coin mining is typically performance related-slowing down devices, overheating batteries, and in some cases, rendering devices unusable-there are broader implications, particularly for organizations. Corporate networks are at risk of shutdown from coin miners aggressively propagated across their environment. There may also be financial implications for organizations who find themselves billed for cloud CPU usage by coin miners. As malicious coin mining evolves, IoT devices will continue to be ripe targets for exploitation. Symantec already found a 600 percent increase in overall IoT attacks in 2017, which means that cyber criminals could exploit the connected nature of these devices to mine en masse. Despite the Eternal Blue exploit wreaking havoc in 2017, the reality is that vulnerabilities are becoming increasingly difficult for attackers to identify and exploit. In response to this, Symantec is now seeing an increase in attackers injecting malware implants into the supply chain to infiltrate unsuspecting organizations, with a 200 percent increase in these attacks-one every month of 2017 as compared to four attacks annually in years prior. Hijacking software updates provides attackers with an entry point for compromising well-protected targets, or to target a specific region or sector. The Petya/NotPetya (Ransom.Petya) outbreak was the most notable example: After exploiting Ukrainian accounting software as the point of entry, Petya/ NotPetya used a variety of methods, spreading across corporate networks to deploy the attackers' malicious payload. When viewed as a business, it's clear that ransomware profitability in 2016 led to a crowded market, with overpriced ransom demands. In 2017, the ransomware 'market' made a correction with fewer ransomware families and lower ransom demands-signaling that ransomware has become a commodity. Many cyber criminals may have shifted their focus to coin mining as an alternative to cash in while crypto currency values are high. Some online banking threats have also experienced a renaissance as established ransomware groups have attempted to diversify. Last year, the average ransom demand dropped to $522, less than half the average of the year prior. And while the number of ransomware variants increased by 46 percent, indicating the established criminal groups are still quite productive, the number of ransomware families dropped, suggesting they are innovating less and may have shifted their focus to new, higher value targets Symantec has found that overall targeted attack activity is up by 10 percent in 2017, motivated primarily by intelligence gathering (90 percent). However, a not-so-insignificant 10 per cent of attack groups engage in some form of disruptive activity. The 'living off the land' trend continues with attack groups opting for tried-and-trusted means to infiltrate target organizations. Spearphishing is the number one infection vector, employed by 71 percent of organized groups in 2017. The use of zero days continues to fall out of favor. In fact, only 27 percent of the 140 targeted attack groups that Symantec tracks have been known to use zero-day vulnerabilities at any point in the past. Threats in the mobile space continue to grow year-over-year. The number of new mobile malware variants increased by 54 percent in 2017, as compared to 2016. And last year, an average of 24,000 malicious mobile applications were blocked each day. While threats are on the increase, the problem is exacerbated by the continued use of older operating systems. In particular, on Android, only 20 percent of devices are running the newest major version and only 2.3 percent are on the latest minor release. Mobile users also face privacy risks from grayware, apps that aren't completely malicious but can be troublesome. Symantec found that 63 percent of grayware apps leak the device's phone number. With grayware increasing by 20 percent in 2017, this isn't a problem that's going away.

Details: Mountain View, CA: Symantic, 2018. 87p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 27, 2018 at: https://www.symantec.com/content/dam/symantec/docs/reports/istr-23-executive-summary-en.pdf

Year: 2018

Country: International

URL: https://www.symantec.com/content/dam/symantec/docs/reports/istr-23-executive-summary-en.pdf

Shelf Number: 149586

Keywords:
Computer Crimes
Cyber Crime
Digital Security
Internet Crimes (U.S.)
Internet Security
Supply Chains

Author: KnowTheChain

Title: Food and Beverage Benchmark Findings Report. How are 20 of the largest companies addressing forced labor in their supply chains?

Summary: According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), an estimated 21 million people are victims of forced labor around the world. As defined by the ILO, forced labor refers to "situations in which persons are coerced to work through the use of violence or intimidation, or by more subtle means such as accumulated debt, retention of identity papers or threats of denunciation to immigration authorities." The agricultural sector alone (including forestry and fishing) generates an estimated US$9 billion in illegal profits from forced labor each year.1 The food and beverage industry is an at-risk sector. Forced labor occurs both in the production of raw materials and during the food processing stages of food and beverage companies' supply chains. Food commodities are produced by agricultural workers who often come from vulnerable groups such as women, international migrants, and internal migrants with little education. Weak labor laws and law enforcement in the sector, together with isolated workplaces where housing tends to be provided by the employer, aggravate the typically poor working conditions and can leave workers vulnerable and dependent on their employer. Evidence of forced labor can be found in numerous commodities and countries, such as rice from India or sugar from Brazil. Much of the recent media attention has focused on Thailand, and Thai companies are not only facing scrutiny on using forced labor in the seafood industry, but also in poultry production, for which the EU is the biggest export market. Fourteen workers who escaped a Thai poultry farm in 2016 reported abusive supervisors, long working hours, were only allowed to leave the farm for two hours a week under supervision, and sometimes were forced to sleep next to hatchlings.2 Forced labor is a global occurrence and also occurs in Western countries-it is linked to food products including strawberries from Germany, apples from the United Kingdom, and tomatoes from the United States.3 In fact, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a worker-based human rights organization, estimates that approximately 5% of all farm workers in the US are victims of forced labor, the majority of whom are migrant workers from Mexico, Guatemala, and Haiti. Workers are held against their will, forced to work for little or no pay, with their work and commute taking up at least 12 hours a day. Suppliers and retailers alike face significant business risks due to forced labor. These include operational risks (such as having to discontinue supplier contracts due to public pressure, reputational risk incurred from negative publicity) and legal and regulatory risks (such as lawsuits from employees, customers, and other stakeholders). For example, in early 2016 the Thai tuna processing factory Golden Prize Tuna Canning paid Myanmar migrant workers US$1.3 million compensation for labor abuses.4 At the same time, companies-particularly consumer-facing brands-can benefit from a proactive stance on eliminating forced labor in their supply chains in terms of reputation, reduced operational and regulatory risks, and employee motivation. There is growing global momentum in both soft and hard law requiring companies to address forced labor risks in their supply chains and disclose their efforts in this respect. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights have established that businesses have a responsibility to respect human rights, including through business relationships. The UN Sustainable Development Goals also address the issue: Goal 8 includes the objective to "take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor [and] end modern slavery and human trafficking." Regulatory requirements include the California Supply Chains Transparency Act and the Modern Slavery Act in the United Kingdom. Access to government contracts is increasingly linked to provisions on forced labor, with both the US and Dutch governments having put provisions for government contractors in place in 2012. The ILO's legally binding Protocol on Forced Labour, which was adopted in 2014 and requires states to prevent and remedy forced labor, has been ratified by eight ILO member countries with more to come.5 Overall, progress in the food and beverage industry to address supply chain labor issues such as forced labor has been slow. In the 2016 update of its Behind the Brands campaign, Oxfam found that, in contrast to areas such as climate change or land rights, "[t]he Big 10 [food and beverage companies] have barely shown any improvement [from 2013] on the issue of labor rights in their supply chains." Companies in this sector have been less responsive to KnowTheChain than companies in the Information and Communications Technology and Apparel & Footwear sectors. Nevertheless, the sector is starting to recognize its impacts and several sectoral initiatives have recently pledged to address forced labor. In December 2015, Australian retailers signed a pledge to address forced labor in their supply chains; in January 2016, the Consumer Goods Forum published a resolution to develop an action plan to eradicate forced labor; and in May 2016, AIM-PROGRESS publicly committed to support the implementation of this resolution. Further, investors have started to engage investee companies in the sector in recent years. For example, as part of its "No Fees" Initiative, members of the US faith-based investor network Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility have held dialogues on modern slavery with companies sourcing palm oil and seafood, both retailers and manufacturers in the food sector. Another example is a group of global investors coordinated by the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment which have been engaging food companies on supply chain labor issues.

Details: San Francisco: KnowTheChain, 2016. 28p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 28, 2018 at: https://knowthechain.org/wp-content/plugins/ktc-benchmark/app/public/images/benchmark_reports/KTC_Food_Beverage_Findings_Report_October.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: International

URL: https://knowthechain.org/wp-content/plugins/ktc-benchmark/app/public/images/benchmark_reports/KTC_Food_Beverage_Findings_Report_October.pdf

Shelf Number: 149604

Keywords:
Forced Labor
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Modern Slavery
Supply Chains

Author: KnowTheChain

Title: Apparel and Footwear Benchmark Findings Report: How are 20 of the largest companies addressing forced labor in their supply chains?

Summary: According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), an estimated 21 million people are victims of forced labor around the world. As defined by the ILO, forced labor refers to "situations in which persons are coerced to work through the use of violence or intimidation, or by subtler means such as accumulated debt, retention of identity papers or threats of denunciation to immigration authorities." The apparel & footwear industry is an at-risk sector. Forced labor occurs both in the production of raw materials and during the manufacturing stages of apparel and footwear companies' supply chains, especially at lower tier suppliers and in home-based or informal manufacturing. Most nations in the world participate to some degree in the textile and apparel sector. And, the textiles, clothing, and footwear industry is a rapidly growing field of employment: While in 2000 the global garment industry employed about 20 million workers, this number has at least tripled to 60-75 million workers in 2014, three quarters of whom are women. Following incidents of child labor and reports about sweatshop conditions since the 1990s, companies have taken action, and associations such as the Ethical Trading Initiative, the Fair Labor Association, and the Better Work Initiative, a partnership between the ILO and the International Finance Corporation, have helped companies to work towards improving conditions in apparel supply chains. Today, companies acknowledge responsibility for working conditions in their supply chains, and traceability and transparency are higher than in other sectors. The majority of large apparel and footwear companies have in place supplier monitoring systems, and, through initiatives such as ACT (Action, Collaboration, Transformation), apparel brands, retailers, manufacturers, and trade unions are collaborating to implement living wages. Why does forced labor in the sector persist? While progress has been made, forced labor persists in the sector. The tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh has proven that auditing systems can easily fall short: two factories in the building had been audited for social compliance and several brands were unaware that their clothes were being made there. Where audits are announced, some employers ask undocumented workers or child workers to hide. In other instances, the work is subcontracted, and poor working conditions move to a deeper, less visible part of the supply chain.4 "Fast fashion" models can exacerbate the risk of forced labor, with pressure on lead times and pricing leading suppliers to outsource production.

Details: San Francisco: KnowTheChain, 2016. 36p.

Source: Internet Resources: Accessed April 6, 2018 at: https://knowthechain.org/wp-content/plugins/ktc-benchmark/app/public/images/benchmark_reports/KTC_A&F_ExternalReport_Final.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: International

URL: https://knowthechain.org/wp-content/plugins/ktc-benchmark/app/public/images/benchmark_reports/KTC_A&F_ExternalReport_Final.pdf

Shelf Number: 149720

Keywords:
Consumer Products
Forced Labor
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Migrant Workers
Modern Slavery
Retail Industry
Supply Chains

Author: KnowTheChain

Title: How food and beverage companies tackle forced labor risks in sugarcane supply chains

Summary: Sugarcane is one of the largest agricultural commodities in the world. It can be found in everyday food items such as cereals, yogurts, and ready-made pizzas, and in beverages such as soft drinks, sports drinks, and flavored coffees. Sugarcane is typically manually harvested, often by migrants and rural workers with little education-in Brazil, more than 25% of the rural population work in sugarcane supply chains. Sugarcane workers face hazardous working conditions, long working hours in isolated workplaces, low wages, and even forced labor. Food and beverage companies face major risks in sourcing sugarcane, given this commodity has been found to be produced by forced labor in Brazil and India, the two largest sugarcane producers in the world. This case study assesses how a sample of 10 companies address forced labor risks across their sugarcane supply chains, finding that, while some companies have assessed risks and set targets, all companies in the case study need to improve significantly-in particular to provide grievance mechanisms and remedy. For the purpose of this report, the term "sugar" has been used where sources refer to sugarcane and may also refer to sugar beets. This study follows KnowTheChain's first food and beverage benchmark completed in 2016, which found a lack of transparency and adequate action to address forced labor in commodity supply chains such as sugarcane, where risks have been documented. We compared the disclosed policies and practices of the 10 companies and examined additional information provided through a questionnaire, which was developed in consultation with global and local stakeholders. Eight of the companies responded to the questionnaire, which represents a notable increase from the 2016 benchmark, when less than half of the companies provided additional disclosure. Key findings on the 10 companies in our case study include: - All companies disclose where at least some parts of their sugarcane supply chains are located. Coca-Cola discloses a map that highlights all sourcing countries for its key commodities. However, the company did not follow through on its commitment from 2013 to disclose the names of all its direct sugarcane suppliers within three years. Wilmar is the only company that discloses a list with names and addresses of its sugar suppliers. - All companies should take concrete follow-up steps at the country level. However, we found steps taken at that level are limited. PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Nestle, and ABF are the only companies making efforts to understand and assess forced labor risks in their sugarcane supply chains at the country level. While most companies have a grievance mechanism in place, it is unclear whether the mechanisms are communicated to and used by suppliers' workers. Further, no company was able to provide an example of remedy provided to workers in their sugarcane supply chains. - Most companies recognize the need to significantly increase their efforts to improve working conditions in their sugar supply chains and have committed to implement or strengthen sustainable sugar sourcing, which includes efforts to prevent forced labor. Notably, Nestle has set time-bound targets for salient labor issues which include, for example, working with suppliers to promote the right of workers to establish and join trade unions.

Details: San Francisco: KnowTheChain, 2017. 34p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 6, 2018 at: https://knowthechain.org/wp-content/uploads/KTC-SugarcaneReport-Final_August-2017.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: International

URL: https://knowthechain.org/wp-content/uploads/KTC-SugarcaneReport-Final_August-2017.pdf

Shelf Number: 149721

Keywords:
Consumer Products
Forced Labor
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Modern Slavery
Sugarcane
Supply Chains

Author: Finlay, Brian D.

Title: Public Threats, Private Solutions: Meeting Nonproliferation Challenges with the Force of the Market

Summary: The rapid pace and geographic breadth of technology innovation; the rapidity and volume of international trade; globalized business practices from outsourcing to offshoring and supply-chaining; the atomization of government interests and bureaucratic organization; and the inherent inability of governments to act at the speed of 21st-century commerce: these are but a few factors negatively influencing our ability to manage the lengthening global proliferation supply chain. The net result has been the global diffusion of the "means of production" of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) at the very moment that the traditional instruments of control are being challenged by downward budgetary pressures in government, complex cost-benefit calculations by political leaders, and a rapid evolution of the nature and modalities of the proliferation threat. These realities necessitate the advent of new approaches that better match and ultimately defeat emerging avenues for proliferation threats. Governments can no longer be solitary nonproliferation activists. The end of the last millennium brought with it a host of challenges that transcend national borders and institutional and conceptual boundaries: 9/11 and the rise of non-state actors, global disease pandemics, economic crises, and climate change. Globalization has clearly yielded a more uncertain and potentially dangerous world. A rapid increase in the movement of goods and people around the world has fueled a concomitant rise in illicit trade and a surge in profits to global gray and black markets. In 2012 the United Nations (UN) Secretary General's report noted that while over 500 million maritime containers move around the world every year, accounting for 90 percent of international trade, only 2 percent of these containers are physically inspected for contraband on an annual basis. In 2009, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimated that transnational organized crime generates $870 billion a year, an amount equal to 1.5 percent of the global gross domestic product and six times the amount of official development assistance. More recent estimates put this number even higher, at closer to $3 trillion annually. Cybercrime, for which private industry bears most of the cost, is also surging. Cyber activities have increased by 26 percent since 2012, and reportedly now cost victims $11.56 million per year. And successive reports by the UN Sanctions Committees on North Korea and Iran demonstrate the widespread exploitation of private industry as both a witting and unwitting facilitator of proliferation. For security analysts, the conclusion is clear: globalization has made the world a far less safe and predicable place. Yet these grand challenges resulting from globalization have also yielded heretofore unimagined technological, economic, and development opportunities in virtually every corner of the globe. For instance, thanks in large measure to globalization, extreme poverty has declined significantly over the last two decades. In 1990, nearly half of the population in the developing world lived on less than $1.25 a day. Today, that proportion has dropped to just 14 percent - the largest mass migration from poverty in human history. For most of the planet's population, globalization and technology diffusion are rightly celebrated as truly life-changing - and in many cases life-saving - phenomena.

Details: Washington, DC: Stimson Center, 2016. 40p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 10, 2018 at: https://www.stimson.org/sites/default/files/file-attachments/public-threats-private-solutions.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: International

URL: https://www.stimson.org/sites/default/files/file-attachments/public-threats-private-solutions.pdf

Shelf Number: 150134

Keywords:
Black Markets
Cybercrime
Cybersecurity
Illicit Trade
Organized Crime
Security
Supply Chains

Author: Australia. Parliament. Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

Title: Hidden in Plain Sight: An inquiry into establishing a Modern Slavery Act in Australia

Summary: Slavery is one of the most appalling crimes in human history. Regrettably, the term 'modern slavery' reminds us that slavery and slavery-like practices are still prevalent around the world today, including here in Australia. Modern slavery is often 'hidden in plain sight'. These heinous crimes are present across a range of industries in Australia and in the global supply chains of businesses and organisations operating here. Latest estimates suggest that over 40 million people around the world, and 4 300 in Australia, are victims of some form of modern slavery, which includes human trafficking, slavery, debt bondage, forced labour and other slavery-like practices. In November 2016, the Foreign Affairs and Aid Sub-Committee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade (Committee) sought the referral of this inquiry to investigate measures to better combat modern slavery in Australia and around the world. The Committee was very pleased when the Australian Government, through the Attorney-General, approved and provided a referral for this inquiry in February 2017. The inquiry particularly focussed on assessing the effectiveness of the United Kingdom's Modern Slavery Act 2015 (UK Act) and whether similar or improved measures could be introduced in Australia. During the inquiry, the Committee received 225 submissions and held 10 public hearings. The Committee heard from a range of dedicated individuals, businesses and organisations with an interest in eradicating modern slavery, including from within global supply chains. The Committee applauds the work being undertaken by these groups to tackle these terrible crimes. The Committee heard strong support for key elements of the UK Act, including from businesses. There was particular support for the establishment of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and the introduction of global supply chain reporting requirements. The Committee recommends that the Australian Government introduce similar measures here, with a range of improvements as outlined in this report. Specifically, the Committee recommends the establishment of an Australian Modern Slavery Act, including an Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner to lead and coordinate Australia's response to combatting modern slavery. Evidence suggests that the UK Commissioner has made an important contribution to raising awareness of modern slavery, better coordinating UK law enforcement agencies and advocating for improved supports for victims.

Details: Canberra: The Committee, 2017. 393p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 3, 2018 at: http://www.gla.gov.uk/media/3377/hiddeninplainsight-australian-modern-slavery-doc.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: Australia

URL: http://www.gla.gov.uk/media/3377/hiddeninplainsight-australian-modern-slavery-doc.pdf

Shelf Number: 150453

Keywords:
Child Trafficking
Debt Bondage
Forced Labor
Human Trafficking
Modern Slavery
Supply Chains

Author: KnowTheChain

Title: 2018 Food and Beverage Benchmark Findings Report

Summary: The risk of forced labor is pervasive across today�s food and beverage supply chains: from tea pickers on tea estates to crew members on fishing vessels and laborers on cattle and poultry ranches, cocoa farms, and rice mills. Workers in the agricultural sector tend to be isolated on remote farms or boats, and harder to reach than more permanent factory workers, making them particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Driven by increasing demand for fuel, food, and raw materials, the sector increasingly pushes agricultural work into more rural areas to accommodate its land-intensive activities, exacerbating the remote nature of the work. To better understand how companies are addressing the risk of forced labor occurring in their supply chains, KnowTheChain evaluated 38 of the largest global food and beverage companies on the forced labor policies and procedures that each company has in place. This report marks KnowTheChain's second food and beverage benchmark since it was launched in 2016.

Details: San Francisco: The Author, 2018. 71p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 28, 2019 at: https://knowthechain.org/wp-content/uploads/KTC_FB_2018.pdf

Year: 2018

Country: International

URL: https://knowthechain.org/wp-content/uploads/KTC_FB_2018.pdf

Shelf Number: 155210

Keywords:
Forced Labor
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Modern Slavery
Supply Chains

Author: Symantec

Title: Internet Security Threat Report Volume 24

Summary: Symantec's 2019 Internet Security Threat Report takes a deep dive into insights from the world's largest civilian global intelligence network, revealing: Formjacking attacks skyrocketed, with an average of 4,800 websites compromised each month. Ransomware shifted targets from consumers to enterprises, where infections rose 12 percent. More than 70 million records stolen from poorly configured S3 buckets, a casualty of rapid cloud adoption. Supply chains remained a soft target with attacks ballooning by 78 percent. "Smart Speaker, get me a cyber attack" � IoT was a key entry point for targeted attacks; most IoT devices are vulnerable. Our exhaustive research is informed by 123 million sensors recording thousands of threat events every second from 157 countries and territories. Use this unparalleled intelligence to your advantage by downloading the Symantec 2019 Internet Security Threat Report.

Details: Mountain View, CA: Symantic, 2019. 61p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 18, 2019 at: https://www.symantec.com/content/dam/symantec/docs/reports/istr-24-2019-en.pdf

Year: 2019

Country: International

URL: https://www.symantec.com/content/dam/symantec/docs/reports/istr-24-2019-en.pdf

Shelf Number: 155453

Keywords:
Computer Crimes
Cyber Crime
Internet Crimes (U.S.)
Internet Security
Supply Chains

Author: Human Rights Watch

Title: "Paying for a Bus Ticket and Expecting to Fly": How Apparel Brand Purchasing Practices Drive Labor Abuses

Summary: Soon after the Rana Plaza collapsed in 2013 in the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing over a thousand workers, a top official from a global brand flew into Pakistan. His sudden trip was sparked by the desperation to make up for orders his company had placed, and lost, with a factory destroyed in the Rana Plaza disaster. He concluded a business deal with a new Pakistani garment supplier and flew out within hours. Usual factory onboarding procedures were discarded. The fact that the global brand had previously rejected the supplier for "failing" social audits (inspections to check working conditions) did not matter. The brand's business needs trumped workers' rights. Lamenting the duplicity of the brand, a Pakistani garment supplier who followed this transaction and narrated its details to Human Rights Watch, said, "All this because he (the global brand representative) had to make up the order placed at Rana Plaza - and all ethics went out of the window. Everybody is like that." The Rana Plaza disaster was a wake-up call to the world - 1,138 workers died and over 2,000 were injured. It shone a light on the problem of death trap factories and poor government oversight. It also revealed much about how apparel brands do business and about their commitments to workers' rights. The nature of the apparel business is such that brands need to pay attention to market trends and consumer preferences that can change with dizzying speed. With the tremendous growth of online shopping, experts say global brands' ability to churn out products quickly is key to success. A maze of decisions underpins the development of each product before it hits the shelves. From forecasting consumer demand and planning; sales and marketing; designing products; selecting factories for manufacturing, monitoring them for social and labor compliance; and placing orders with and paying suppliers, numerous departments within a brand are involved in decision-making. Alternatively, some parts of these decisions maybe made through agents. This complex web of decisions is generally referred to as a brand's sourcing and purchasing practices. This report is based largely on interviews with garment suppliers, social compliance auditors, and garment industry experts, including those with at least a decade's experience sourcing for numerous global brands; hundreds of interviews with workers; and trade export data analysis for key producing markets from Asia. The report argues that brands' poor sourcing and purchasing practices can be a huge part of the root cause for rampant labor abuses in apparel factories, undercutting efforts to hold suppliers accountable for their abusive practices. Because brands typically have more business clout in a brand-supplier relationship, how brands do business with suppliers has a profound influence on working conditions. Brands can and should balance the twin goals of responding to consumer demands and protecting workers rights in factories that produce for them. This can only happen if they invest in a variety of human rights due diligence tools also needed to monitor and rectify their sourcing and purchasing and adopt key industry good practices. These steps will go a long way in discharging brands' responsibilities articulated in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UN Guiding Principles) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector (OECD Due Diligence Guidance on Garments).

Details: New York: Human Rights Watch, 2019. 70p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 4, 2019 at: https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/04/23/paying-bus-ticket-and-expecting-fly/how-apparel-brand-purchasing-practices-drive

Year: 2019

Country: International

URL: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/wrd0419_web2.pdf

Shelf Number: 156163

Keywords:
Corporate Misconduct
Forced Labor
Human Rights Abuses
Labor Abuses
Labor Exploitation
Modern Slavery
Supply Chains

Author: Standards Australia

Title: Supply Chain Standards to Reduce the Black Economy: Discussion Paper

Summary: Standards Australia is seeking public feedback in relation to a discussion paper released today titled Supply chain standards to reduce the black economy. The black economy, also known as the shadow economy or cash economy, refers to a range of activities that have an impact across the economy and society. This may include under-reporting or not reporting income, paying for work cash-in-hand, committing visa fraud, hiding behind or misquoting an Australian Business Number (ABN), or excise evasion. In Australia, it has been estimated that the black economy today could be as large as 3% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This number is up to 50% larger than the Australian Bureau of Statistics' 2012 estimates. In response to growing concerns about the black economy domestically, the Australian Government established a taskforce which released the Black Economy Taskforce Report. In May 2018, the Australian Government responded to the recommendations of the report, committing itself to a range of measures, including the development of standards to support supply chain integrity. Standards Australia is consulting with the Australian community to examine how standards and other guidance materials can support the taskforce's recommendation. The consultation process will be shaped by online responses to this discussion paper and face-to-face consultation sessions held in November and December 2018 in six capital cities. Details on the dates and locations of consultation sessions as well as instructions on how to submit feedback online can be found in the discussion paper. All feedback will shape a final report to be released in March 2019 providing clear options to Treasury on next steps.

Details: Sydney, Australia: Standards Australia, 2018. 16p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 4, 2019 at: https://www.standards.org.au/getmedia/5f797bed-28a2-4cad-871b-92d9d8a609f6/Black-Economy-Discussion-Paper.pdf.aspx

Year: 2018

Country: Australia

URL: https://www.standards.org.au/news/supporting-the-integrity-of-the-australian-supply-chain

Shelf Number: 156168

Keywords:
Australia
Black Economy
Fraud
Illicit Markets
Shadow Economy
Supply Chains

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