Guatemala is among the world’s most prolific palm-oil-producing countries, but it also appears to be one of the cruelest. A new report (pdf) released by the international labor watchdog Verité details the labor and human rights problems in Guatemala’s fast-growing palm oil industry. And there are many, according to the report: Forced labor, child labor, health and safety risks, poor housing, environmental damage, and wage exploitation are just the highlights of the list of dangers facing impoverished palm oil workers and farmers in the country.
About one-fifth of the gold exported from Peru is illegally mined, with forced labor extracting much of the precious metal that ends up in cellphones, computers and jewelry, according to US non-profit Verité. Peru’s Andean mineral wealth has made it the world’s sixth-largest gold producer and boosted it into the ranks of middle-income countries, but some miners have paid for the boom with their freedom – or their lives.
Peru is one of the largest gold producers in the world — the fifth largest, if illegally produced gold is taken into account. Gold has recently surpassed cocaine as Peru’s largest illicit export, and Peru is the largest cocaine producer in the world. But unlike cocaine, illegal gold goes on to become a legitimate consumer product, found in our jewelry, watches, and smart phones.
The building collapse in Bangladesh has renewed the discussion about working conditions around the world. Verite’s CEO Dan Viederman told NEPR’s Susan Kaplan that many things contribute to the country’s problems, including corruption, not enough inspectors and a poor populace.
Read the full-text of the article below or on the CNN Website. Big business fights human trafficking April 11, 2013 by Steve Hargreaves Once almost exclusively a problem tackled by governments and do-gooder organizations, corporations are beginning to take an active...
