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Worker ProfilesCase studies of of workers in forced labor due to deceptive recruitment, restricted movement, and threats, among other abuses. Help Wanted Home / Fair Hiring Toolkit / >Worker Profiles / Resources Click case study for larger view.     Verité...
Ensuring Government Advisors Comprehensively Understand Forced Labor in Côte d’Ivoire

Ensuring Government Advisors Comprehensively Understand Forced Labor in Côte d’Ivoire

On July 19, Verité and the International Cocoa Initiative kicked off a forced labor indicators training for human rights advisors of the National Council of Human Rights (Conseil Nacional des Droits de l’Homme— CNDH), an independent body that is tasked with ensuring the Côte d’Ivoire government’s adherence to all international treaties and cooperation agreements that the government has signed.

Forced Labor Indicators in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana

Forced Labor Indicators in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana

The Forced Labor Indicators Project (FLIP) collaborated with government, civil society, trade unions, and private sector stakeholders in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire to conduct 15 trainings in 2022, facilitating exchange of learnings and co-creation of materials and resources for diverse stakeholders, and encouraging cooperation in addressing forced labor and trafficking risk in both countries.

G7 Don’t Miss the Boat on Human Rights

G7 Don’t Miss the Boat on Human Rights

Recently in Osaka-Saki, Japan, the G7 Trade Ministers convened to discuss key issues affecting the global trading system and the topic of fishing subsidies was high on the agenda.  Each year, governments worldwide provide an estimated $35.4 billion to subsidize their fishing fleets and over 60% of these subsidies go to commercial fishing that contribute to depletion of the world’s fish stocks.  The G7 Ministers pledged to work on additional provisions to the historic agreement struck last year by the World Trading Organization (WTO) to reform fishing subsidies. The call for action was to seek greater alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 14.6, which addresses overfishing and Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Despite ‘No Fees to Workers’ Policies, Workers Are Still Paying

Despite ‘No Fees to Workers’ Policies, Workers Are Still Paying

Verite’s analysis of thousands of recent recruitment transactions between employers and labor recruiters in high-risk labor migration corridors into the Southeast Asia, Middle East, and Gulf Cooperation Council regions finds that fewer than 10% of employers are recruiting workers ethically by paying the full cost of recruitment and preventing workers from being charged for their job.

How to Conduct Effective Forced Labor Due Diligence at Scale?

How to Conduct Effective Forced Labor Due Diligence at Scale?

Social audits have proven to be ineffective in detecting and preventing debt bonded labor, the most pervasive and entrenched form of forced labor in global supply chains today. While deep dive, focused, worker-centric investigations of the type conducted by Verité and like-minded organizations, are the gold standard to detect and remedy these abuses, it is neither practical nor cost effective for buyers, investors, and other stakeholders to use this approach at every workplace in high-risk countries, sectors, supply chain tiers, or migration corridors.

Urgent Action Needed to Protect Children From Labor Exploitation

Urgent Action Needed to Protect Children From Labor Exploitation

As organizations working to address human trafficking and labor exploitation, we are appalled by the horrific conditions children experienced after fleeing to the United States for refuge. This series in the New York Times demonstrates our government’s inability, unwillingness, or outright refusal to protect minors from forced labor.

Addressing Forced Labor Risk in West African Cocoa

Addressing Forced Labor Risk in West African Cocoa

In 2022, Verité continued its leadership role on the issue of forced labor in the West African cocoa industry, implementing trainings for cocoa suppliers on identifying and addressing forced labor, and supporting cocoa companies to develop response protocols to help them respond promptly and effectively when indicators of forced labor are found.

SENDEROS in 2022

SENDEROS in 2022

The Sowing Rights, Harvesting Better Futures (SENDEROS) project promotes adherence of the sugarcane and tobacco sectors in Mexico to national regulations and international labor standards. In 2022, SENDEROS collaborated with the Mexican government, companies, producers, and farmworkers to build capacities to detect, remedy, and prevent labor rights issues.