Failure to tackle worker abuse breeds modern slavery, UN expert warns
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation A failure to hold companies to account for lesser labour abuses from late wage payments to excessive overtime creates a breeding ground for the worst forms of modern slavery to thrive, the top United Nations expert on human trafficking said. Businesses are judged only on their efforts to curb extreme forms […]
Indian state expands work scheme to tackle exploitation
Chennai, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation An Indian state with some of the country’s highest levels of migration driven by poverty is doubling the amount of paid work it gives some of its poorest citizens, in a bid to curb debt bondage, a common form of slavery. Authorities in the eastern state of Odisha said hundreds of […]
Ecuador to launch new anti-human trafficking plan – official
Bogota, ColombiaThomson Reuters Foundation Ecuador will launch a new prevention and assistance plan focused on sexual and labour exploitation victims, where hundreds of human trafficking survivors have been rescued in the past two years, a top government official said. While authorities have saved 332 trafficking victims since 2017, the US State Department kept Ecuador on […]
Complaints about safety in Bangladesh factories hit a high in 2018
Thomson Reuters Foundation Garment factory workers in Bangladesh filed a record number of complaints about safety – 662 – last year, showing that a mechanism set up by European fashion brands to improve working conditions was proving effective, trade unions said on Tuesday. The Bangladesh Accord was signed by some 200 global brands and unions […]
Pope appeals to governments to tackle human trafficking
Pope Francis has appealed to governments around the world to take action to end human trafficking and protect its victims. In comments made on Sunday – two days after the church held a day to raise awareness of human trafficking, the Pope reportedly said on Sunday that all people “can and must work together to denounce […]
Soaring number of suspected slaves in UK sparks alarm over support
Thomson Reuters Foundation At least 7,000 suspected victims of modern slavery were uncovered in Britain last year, up a third on 2017, according to data that campaigners said on Friday raised concerns about the government’s ability to support a growing number of survivors. A larger share of men – six in 10 of the possible […]
Don’t just arrest – buy better to stop slavery, states urged
Thomson Reuters Foundation Governments will not end labour exploitation or human trafficking by simply targeting criminals and should focus on ensuring the goods and services they provide are free of abuses, a top official at Europe’s security watchdog said on Thursday. Countries have little to no control over the actions of traffickers but can influence […]