July 2019
Hong Kong
Hong Kong used as ‘pawn’ in China relations, says labour minister in angry reaction to US State Department’s ‘unfair’ assessment of city’s human trafficking record
Date: 30 June 2019
Source: South China Morning Post
Dr Law Chi-kwong, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, said that the US Trafficking in Persons report (TIP report) “contained many unfair comments.” He said such unfair criticism of Hong Kong’s human trafficking record showed that the US has been using the city as a “pawn” in dealings with mainland China.
Access the article here.
Access STOP’s response to the US TIP Report here.
Asia
Malaysian demand for cheap labour propels human trafficking in Thailand to record heights
Date: 22 July 2019
Source: South China Morning Post
Thai police have rescued 974 trafficking victims – mostly from Myanmar – for the year to date, compared to 622 for the whole of last year and a previous annual high of 982 in 2015, according to government data.
Indian state sets aside college places for slavery survivors
Date: 12 July 2019
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation News
The southern Indian state of Karnataka has set aside hundreds of college places for survivors of trafficking and sexual assault. India already has job and education quotas for its lowest social classes, but this is the first time trafficking survivors will benefit from affirmative action.
The living hell of young girls enslaved in Bangladesh’s brothels
Date: 6 July 2019
Source: The Guardian
Tens of thousands of underage girls, some as young as 12, are enslaved in brothels in Bangladesh. Chukri, bonded sex workers, are imprisoned within brothels and forced to pay back fabricated debts.
Global
“I wasn’t prepared for how young human trafficking victims would be”
Date: 28 July 2019
Source: Sky News
Romania has the highest number of human trafficking victims in Europe. Trafficking victims in Romania are getting younger and are reliant on volunteers – not the government – for help.
2021 declared International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour
Date: 26 July 2019
Source: International Labour Organization
The UN General Assembly has urged the international community to step up efforts to eradicate forced labour and child labour, and declared 2021 as the Year for the Elimination of Child Labour.
More than 500 victims of trafficking detained in 2018, UK study finds
Date: 9 July 2019
Source: The Guardian
Hundreds of victims of trafficking have been locked up in detention centres by the Home Office, despite guidance that they should be housed and supported.
Resources
Report: The Modern Slavery (Victim Support) Bill: A Cost-Benefit Analysis
Date: 17 July 2019
Source: University of Nottingham
This report, which has been launched in the UK Parliament, finds that the benefits of longer-term support for survivors of modern slavery outweigh the initial costs.
Access the report here.
For a summary, access the accompanying press release here.
Research Paper: Beyond the Camps: Beijing’s Grand Scheme of Forced Labor, Poverty Alleviation and Social Control in Xinjiang
Date: 12 July 2019
Author: Adrian Zenz, Independent Researcher
This research paper provides a closer look at internment camps in Xinjiang, China, where “forced or at least involuntary labour” is allegedly taking place on a massive scale. The author, Adrian Zenz, has been emerging as one of the leading academics on the issue.
Report: Measurement, Action, Freedom: An independent assessment of government progress towards achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal 8.7
Date: June 2019
Source: Walk Free
This report finds that it is impossible to achieve SDG 8.7, eradicating modern slavery, at the current rate of progress. It also names Hong Kong as one of countries that has a weak response to slavery relative to its wealth.