News
Verité News From our Vision Newsletter
Employer Pays Verification
Debt bondage, due to the imposition of recruitment fees and costs on foreign migrant workers, remains the most pervasive and entrenched form of forced labor in global supply chains today. Reimbursement is an important remedy but, on its own, it is not a solution to the underlying root causes of this ongoing labor abuse.
Work Behind Bars
The U.S. prison system has been under increasing scrutiny in recent years for issues such as systematic racism, inhumane conditions, overcrowding, and sexual violence. While these issues are extremely pressing, another important issue, forced prison labor, is often overlooked. Therefore, as a labor rights organization, Verité determined that we could most effectively contribute to the critique of the U.S. prison system by lending an international human rights lens to the conversation on prison labor.
What We’re Talking About in March
Working to End Forced Labor for Cotton Workers in Central Asia | New report on forced labor goods and Department of Defense (DOD) commissaries and exchanges | Commission sets out strategy to promote decent work worldwide | More than 2 billion workers make up the informal economy
Responding to Refugee Vulnerability to Trafficking: Ukraine and Beyond
The political and humanitarian crises in Ukraine are reshaping the landscape for supply chain accountability throughout the broader region. More than 4 million refugees have fled Ukraine into neighboring countries, according to the UN. Prior to the Ukraine crisis, the numbers of internally displaced people and refugees globally were already at record highs, with more than 26 million Syrians, Central Americans, Venezuelans, South Sudanese, Rohingya, and others living as refugees abroad, and more than 84 million people around the world forcibly displaced in the first half of 2021.
2021: A Year in Review
Only a year ago, stories about supply chains were seldom featured in the media. As we arrive at the close of 2021, news stories focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on supply chains is provided daily, and reports in the media have made consumers increasingly aware of where the goods they purchase come from, how they are made, and who works to harvest, produce, and deliver those goods.
What We’re Talking About in December 2021
New Global Initiative to Empower Workers, Ensure Rights, Promote Democracy | World Migration Report 2022 | The Role Institutional Investors Can Play in the Fight Against Forced Labor and Modern Slavery | Small Children are Climbing 60-Foot Trees to Harvest Your Açaí | The Secretive Prisons That Keep Migrants Out of Europe | The Supply Chain Crisis is a Labor Crisis
New Publications by Verité Program Manager Ebenézer Marcelo Marques de Oliveira
We’re very proud to share that Verité Program Manager Ebenézer Marcelo Marques de Oliveira has co-authored the book in Portuguese, “Estrangeiro, Nunca Mais! Migrante como sujeito de direito e a importância do advocacy pela nova lei de migração brasileira [Foreigner,...
What We’re Talking About in November 2021
New Report Shows Rise in Child Labor Globally | Support for EU Law to Hold Companies Liable for Human Rights Violations & Environmental Harms | Historic Decision for the Protection of Victims of Trafficking in Colombia | Migrant Workers Face Heightened Risk of Death and Injury | And More
Combating Forced and Child Labor of Refugees in Global Supply Chains: The Role of Responsible Sourcing
Verité and the Tent Partnership for Refugees’ new report “Combating Forced and Child Labor of Refugees in Global Supply Chains: The Role of Responsible Sourcing” offers guidance that can help companies hire and incorporate refugees into their supply chains and advocate for their rights as a proactive strategy towards combating forced labor.
Mechanization of Thai Purse Seiners: A business case study to improve working and living conditions
International exposés of labor conditions on Thai fishing vessels have long identified a vessel’s physical structure as an inherent driver of labor risk in the industry. These findings led Nestlé and Verité to collaborate on a project exploring how Thai fishing vessels might be modified to enable long-term improvements for both the workers and vessel owners.