World Food Day & Anti-Slavery Day put spotlight on modern slavery
October 18, 2020 News Digest
From Freedom United
| Forced labor Forced prison labor in California continues as coronavirus spreads A new report from the LA Times has revealed how forced labor in the California prison system has continued in spite of rapidly rising infection numbers. Inmates were threatened with disciplinary measures that would affect their release if they refused to work for fear of COVID-19, and made to stitch masks they themselves were forbidden to wear. Read more… |
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| Speak Free World Food Day: weeding out forced labor from our food To mark World Food Day, Freedom United is focusing its efforts on Italy to ratify the ILO’s Forced Labour Protocol. Italy, which hosts the three food-related specialized agencies of the U.N., is particularly affected by a form of forced labor known as caporalato, a type of fraudulent recruitment that disproportionately impacts migrants. Read more… |
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| Law & policy Focus on U.K.’s “pitiful” support for survivors ahead of Anti-Slavery Day In an opinion piece for Thomson Reuters Foundation, immigration lawyer Ayesha Mohsin has called for an increase to the support currently available to survivors of modern slavery in the U.K. – currently under review by the government. Survivors receive as little as £35 per week and many cannot legally work, leaving them at risk of re-exploitation and destitution. Read more… |
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TOP NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
| Partner spotlight Looking back on a year of partnership against modern slavery Freedom United is reflecting on its year of fruitful partnership with the United Nations Association of New York. Together, we’ve powered the call for wider ratification of the ILO’s Forced Labour Protocol directly to the UN Headquarters in New York City and—in spite of the pandemic ending our in-person events—has resulted in numerous successes. |
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