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The United States and other governments are creating laws and regulations to require more effective management and prevention of these risks by those who sell goods and services to the government and by those who import goods into the US and other countries.  As a result, government officials of many types – from contracting and procurement officials to Congressional staff – are increasingly engaged in matters related to labor and human rights risks in global supply chains.

Verité research has found that the use of labor brokers (including village-level agents, recruiters, labor contractors, and crew leaders) is widespread throughout the Latin American coffee sector, including in Brazil.

Workers who handle waste and recyclables support the health of our communities, economies, and the environment at the expense of their own health and wellbeing. On a daily basis, they may be exposed to hazardous materials, such as household cleaners, pesticides, and medical waste. The COVID-19 pandemic only heightens these health risks, particularly to informal waste pickers who collect the recyclable materials that we throw in the trash.

This is a training developed for professionals in healthcare systems involved in the procurement of goods and services. It examines the risk of forced labor and labor trafficking in healthcare, specifically regarding supply chains and service providers. This free course has no prerequisites.

Prohibiting federal contractors from charging workers recruitment fees is a cornerstone of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) requiring contractors and subcontractors to take specific preventive measures to detect and eliminate forced labor and human trafficking in their supply chains. In December 2018, the U.S. Government amended the FAR to include a comprehensive and clear definition of what constitute “recruitment fees.”

The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST),  a U.S.-based coalition that advocates for solutions to prevent and end all forms of human trafficking and forced labor, and of which Verité is a long-time member, recently released its Presidential Agenda for Ending Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. The report was delivered to President-elect Joseph Biden’s...

Verité’s Responsible Sourcing Tool (RST) is a leading public resource on the risks of human trafficking in global supply chains, providing free, practical tools for combatting trafficking risk for U.S. federal contractors and other actors. In 2022, new tools for the facilities services sector were added to the site, with more resources coming soon.

Verité is active on many fronts to bring our labor rights experts together with those protecting the natural environment. We believe strongly that supply chain “sustainability” is best pursued holistically with the needs of people, communities, and ecosystems considered and approached in complementary ways. One significant effort has been our participation in the Accountability Framework Initiative (AFi).