Target 8.7 of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires that child labor be eliminated by 2015, yet according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), 152 million children around the world are in situations of child labor. Verité is currently working with Winrock and Lawyers without Borders to implement CLEAR II, a project to reduce the prevalence of child labor in eight countries. Lisa Cox is spearheading Verité’s role in this partnership, improving the capabilities of public inspectorates and private companies to identify and address child labor.
Verité’s vision is a world where people work under safe, fair, and legal conditions. In 2017, we conducted ground-breaking research, amplified our impact, and engaged multinational brands in long-term strategic partnerships towards making this vision a reality. Explore our achievements from last year below, and to support Verité’s work in 2018, please DONATE NOW.
Verité is pleased to announce a new round of updates to the strawberries, bananas, pineapple, citrus, and melons commodity reports on the Responsible Sourcing Tool. These refreshed reports include the most recent information from the U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report and the U.S. Department of Labor’s List of Goods Produced by Forced Labor and Child Labor.
Verité’s exploratory research into the labor conditions in Guatemala’s sugar industry has revealed a high degree of vulnerability to labor trafficking in this sector. This research found evidence of recruitment abuses, child labor, restrictions on workers’ right to freedom of association, gender-based discrimination, wage and hour violations, threats to workers’ health and safety, inhumane living conditions, and negative impacts on communities surrounding sugar plantations.