Hundreds of labour exploitation victims found near Lisbon
Samouco, Portugal Reuters Hundreds of alleged victims of labour exploitation were found on Wednesday in different locations near Portugal’s capital Lisbon, including inside a big warehouse where they were kept to work in the illegal harvesting of shellfish. The Maritime Police, which is leading the investigation, said in a statement that all of the 243 […]
An uncertain future: Uprooted again, Nigerians who fled Boko Haram face new dangers
PHILIP OBAJI, JR, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on aid workers’ claims that as camps for the displaced close in Borno state, thousands of people are now at risk of extreme poverty and labour exploitation…
UN hails “historic” milestone in global drive to end child labour
London, UK Thomson Reuters Foundation The United Nations’ labour agency hailed a “historic” milestone on Tuesday in the drive to end child labour after a global treaty to protect children from sexual exploitation, forced labour and armed conflict was signed by all member states. The International Labour Organization’s convention against the worst forms of child […]
Coronavirus risks making labour exploitation the “new normal”, UN warns
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Governments must act swiftly to ensure labour exploitation does not become the “new normal” as the coronavirus pandemic fuels abuses in sectors from tourism and agriculture to the sex trade, a United Nations expert warned on Thursday. UN special rapporteur Maria Grazia Giammarinaro said the abuse of vulnerable workers – such […]
Brands urged to stop sourcing from China’s Xinjiang over forced labour fears
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Major retailers must stop sourcing from China’s Xinjiang region due to the “grave risk of forced labour”, a coalition of civil society groups said on Thursday, amid mounting global pressure on Beijing over its treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority. More than 180 organisations urged brands from Adidas to Amazon to […]
Community efforts seen as key to tackling UK fashion worker abuses
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation A government taskforce and proposed factory licensing scheme are unlikely to prevent labour abuses in Britain’s garment industry without the involvement of trade unions and community groups to help workers, several advocates in the city of Leicester said. The textile sector in Leicester, central England, has been in the spotlight this […]
“Shocking” abuse of migrants forced to pick strawberries in Spain, UN says
Barcelona, SpainThomson Reuters Foundation Spain must urgently protect thousands of women brought over from Morocco as essential workers to pick strawberries during the new coronavirus pandemic in abysmal conditions and without basic hygiene, a United Nations rapporteur said on Wednesday. About 3,000 Moroccan women travel to Spain, which provides more than half of Europe’s fruit […]
UK anti-slavery charity sees jump in labour abuse calls to helpline
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Calls about labour abuse to a British helpline rose 42 per cent last year as workers at building sites, hotels and car washes raised the alarm about unsafe or exploitative conditions, a report by an anti-slavery charity showed on Tuesday. Unseen, which runs the helpline to identify potential cases of modern […]
Italy’s lockdown labour crunch sparks fears of mafia exploitation
Rome, ItalyThomson Reuters Foundation Mafia exploitation of immigrants on farms in Italy is likely to rise as the coronavirus lockdown brings chronic labour shortages, the government and labour rights groups have warned. Italy normally depends on 370,000 foreign workers to bring in its harvest, but travel restrictions to stop the spread of the virus have […]
Major UK hotels found failing to combat threat of modern slavery
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Major hotels in Britain are failing to protect workers from debt bondage and sexual exploitation, according to a study on Wednesday that found 75 per cent of hospitality businesses were flouting anti-slavery legislation. Britain’s world-first 2015 Modern Slavery Act requires companies whose turnover exceeds £36 million to produce an annual statement […]