I remember one particularly bad factory in China. It produced outdoor tables, parasols, and gazebos, and the place was a mess. Work floors were so crowded with production materials that I could barely make my way from one end to the other. In one area, where metals were being chemically treated, workers squatted at the edge of steaming pools as if contemplating a sudden, final swim. The dormitories were filthy: the hallways were strewn with garbage—orange peels, tea leaves—and the only way for anyone to bathe was to fill a bucket with cold water. In a country where workers normally suppress their complaints for fear of getting fired, employees at this factory couldn’t resist telling us the truth. “We work so hard for so little pay,” said one middle-aged woman with undisguised anger. We could only guess how hard—the place kept no time cards. Painted in large characters on the factory walls was a slogan: “If you don’t work hard today, look hard for work tomorrow.” Inspirational, in a way.
Ethiopia has recently brought perpetrators to justice for trafficking Ethiopian immigrants and subjecting them to various forms of exploitation in countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan and Libya. The state has also demonstrated a growing politica...Read More
On the occasion of the EU Anti-Trafficking Day, one of the RESPECT founding organisations, the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime co-organized a high-level conference on “Human Trafficking and Human Rights – Access to Rights for Victims of Human Trafficking” with...
In 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council unanimously endorsed the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework (UNGPs), introducing a new standard and authoritat...Read More
Investigations by Equidem between September 2020 and October 2022 documented significant labour and human rights violations at all eight FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadiums—Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail, Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Al Janoub Stad...Read More
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