While industrial recycling is squarely situated in the formal sector of the economy, the upstream segments of the recycling supply chain may reach deep into the informal sector, intersecting with the centuries-old occupation of waste picking. In many countries, informal waste pickers play a crucial role in waste collection, including the collection, sorting and resale of recyclable materials. The positive contribution of informal waste pickers to urban solid waste management from an environmental and economic perspective is well documented, as have the poor working conditions faced by waste pickers, and the harmful consequences of these for workers’ health and safety. Inadequate income and social marginalization are common, along with other associated social ills such as child labour, which occurs in landfills, in waste collection and sorting.
The number of modern slavery victims in global supply chains today is believed to stand at around 16 million, roughly the same number of enslaved people as during the transatlantic slave trade in the 18th century. While this statistic alone is sugge...Read More
For decades, workers, unions, students, and labour NGOs have joined together to try to hold global corporations accountable for the labour violations that have routinely taken place in their supply chains. Multi-faceted and often lengthy corporate c...Read More
The COVID-19 crisis has a potentially far-reaching, long-term negative impact on trafficked and exploited persons. Although at this stage it is not yet possible to assess the full impact of the pandemic on human trafficking, it is sure that its soci...Read More
Edited by Prabha Kotiswaran and Sam Okyere. This is the third volume of the series Beyond Trafficking and Slavery Short Course. The articles in this volume outline and critically interrogate the role of the state, national legislation and in...Read More
2025 © Copyright, RESPECT International. All Rights Reserved. Website Disclaimer | Privacy Policy
