In illegal mining, there is a high incidence of human trafficking for forced labour, including a system in which debt bondage is achieved by providing workers with advances or start-up capital. Workers in the mining sector are employed under extremely dangerous conditions, including exposure to toxic substances and severe illnesses, and that women and children tend to be more vulnerable to exploitation.
The challenges of due diligence in, for example, the gold trading process are faced at every point in the supply chain; from ensuring that gold has been extracted not only legally, but also complying with international human rights and labour standards and /or does not fuel armed conflicts, to retail buyers taking the sourcing of their gold into consideration.
While the World Gold Council Conflict-Free Standard is designed to ensure gold producers mine responsibly, it is also very important that the whole supply chain is sustainable and does not contribute to conflict. For instance, the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) – the international trade association that represents the market for gold and silver bullion – has developed Responsible Gold Guidance standards for refiners that lay out due-diligence processes that refiners need to follow, in line with the OECD Guidance on Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected areas.
What are the most promising practices to eradicate human trafficking from the supply chains within the mining industry, including gold and other minerals? How does labour exploitation in the mining industry relate to other forms of human trafficking and illicit trade? What laws specifically address human trafficking related to the mining industry and where can improvements be made to further create public policy? And how can academia assist in research around this critical industry? This webinar will focused on these questions and more in a two-hour discussion.
Currently, is it estimated that 1.8 million children are exploited worldwide in prostitution or through pornography. Furthermore, it is believed that 20% of victims trafficked for sexual exploitation are children. In 2001, there were approximately 100,000 pornography sites containing child...
The Responsible Sourcing Tool is a free web platform created to help visualize and understand the risks of human trafficking in supply chains. Created by Verité, Made in a Free World, and the Aspen Institute, with support from the U.S. State Depart...Read More
The spotlight has been fixed on human trafficking and professional sports. The focus draws attention to a range of organized crimes capitalizing on global sporting events such as the World Cup or the Olympics — crimes such as illegal...
This documentary talks about the ten countries with the most people in modern slavery (victims of human trafficking), based on data and findings of the Global Slavery Index 2016.
Video researched, written, narrated, and directed by Bryce Plank.
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