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More US churches commit to racism-linked reparations

US New York St James Episcopal Church slavery plaque

AP The Episcopal Diocese of Texas acknowledges that its first bishop in 1859 was a slaveholder. An Episcopal church erects a plaque noting the building’s creation in New York City in 1810 was made possible by wealth resulting from slavery. And the Minnesota Council of Churches cites a host of injustices, from mid-19th century atrocities […]

US rapped over gaps in catching slave-made imports

Thomson Reuters Foundation A drive by the United States to block illegal imports of goods made by forced labour has been hampered by a lack of skilled staff and reliable data, a government watchdog said in a report. Customs and Border Protection has in recent years suspended some investigations into imports it suspected to be […]

Brazil finds fewer workers in slave-like jobs despite more complaints

Workers in Brazil

Mexico City, MexicoThomson Reuters Foundation Brazil found 40 per cent fewer people in slave-like working conditions in 2019 than the year before despite getting more complaints, officials said on Tuesday, as anti-slavery efforts face funding gaps and increasingly sophisticated traffickers. The Labor Inspection Secretariat said 1,054 workers had been discovered in slave-like conditions, compared with […]

Companies must use buying power to root out slavery, says UK official

LondonThomson Reuters Foundation Companies that find their products are being made using slave labour should work with suppliers to stop the abuse rather than focusing on protecting their reputations, Britain’s anti-slavery commissioner said on Monday. Sara Thornton said many people used in forced labour were highly vulnerable and could be left with “absolutely nothing” if […]

US bans imports of slave-picked cotton from Turkmenistan

Thomson Reuters Foundation The United States has banned cotton imported from Turkmenistan due to findings of state-enforced slave labour, a move celebrated by activists who said they hope other nations using enslaved workers will come under similar scrutiny. The US Customs and Border Protection will turn away any shipments of cotton originating in the Central […]

New global protocol tackling forced labour enters into force

An international protocol on forced labour had entered into force this week in what has been described as a “major milestone” to end the practice. The International Labour Organization Forced Labour Protocol requires countries to take effective measures to prevent and eliminate forced labour and to protect and provide access to justice for victims. It entered […]