Policies to contrast labour exploitation: OIL and UE between sanctions and prevention

BackgroundThere is limited evidence on labour exploitation’s impact on migrant health. This population is, however, often employed in manual low-skilled jobs known for poor labour conditions and exploitation risks. The lack of a common conceptualisation of labour exploitation in health research impedes the development of research measuring its effects on migrant health and, ultimately, our understanding of migrants’ health needs.AimTo develop an operational conceptual framework of labour exploitation focusing on migrant workers in manual low-skilled jobs.MethodsNon-probabilistic sampling was used to recruit multidisciplinary experts on labour exploitation. An online Group Concept Mapping (GCM) was conducted. Experts: 1) generated statements describing the concept ‘labour exploitation’ focusing on migrants working in manual low-skilled jobs; 2) sorted generated statements into groups reflecting common themes; and 3) rated them according to their importance in characterising a situation as migrant labour exploitation. Multidimensional Scaling and Cluster Analysis were used to produce an operational framework detailing the concept content (dimensions, statements, and corresponding averaged rating).FindingsThirty-two experts sorted and rated 96 statements according to their relative importance (1 “relatively unimportant” to 5 “extremely important”). The operational framework consists of four key dimensions of migrant labour exploitation, distributed along a continuum of severity revealed by the rating: ‘Shelter and personal security’ (rating: 4.47); ‘Finance and migration’ (4.15); ‘Health and safety’ (3.96); and ‘Social and legal protection’ (3.71).ConclusionThis study is the first to both generate an empirical operational framework of migrant labour exploitation, and demonstrate the existence of a "continuum from decent work to forced labour". The framework content can be operationalised to measure labour exploitation. It paves the way to better understand how different levels of exploitation affect migrant workers’ health for global policymakers, health researchers, and professionals working in the field of migrant exploitation.

There is limited evidence on labour exploitation's impact on migrant health. This population is, however, often employed in manual low-skilled jobs known for poor labour conditions and exploitation risks. The lack of a common conceptualisation of labour exploitation in health research impedes the development of research measuring its effects on migrant health and, ultimately, our understanding of migrants' health needs. To develop an operational conceptual framework of labour exploitation focusing on migrant workers in manual low-skilled jobs. Non-probabilistic sampling was used to recruit multidisciplinary experts on labour exploitation. An online Group Concept Mapping (GCM) was conducted. Experts: 1) generated statements describing the concept 'labour exploitation' focusing on migrants working in manual low-skilled jobs; 2) sorted generated statements into groups reflecting common themes; and 3) rated them according to their importance in characterising a situation as migrant labour exploitation. Multidimensional Scaling and Cluster Analysis were used to produce an operational framework detailing the concept content (dimensions, statements, and corresponding averaged rating). Thirty-two experts sorted and rated 96 statements according to their relative importance (1 "relatively unimportant" to 5 "extremely important"). The operational framework consists of four key dimensions of migrant labour exploitation, distributed along a continuum of severity revealed by the rating: 'Shelter and personal security' (rating: 4.47); 'Finance and migration' (4.15); 'Health and safety' (3.96); and 'Social and legal protection' (3.71). This study is the first to both generate an empirical operational framework of migrant labour exploitation, and demonstrate the existence of a "continuum from decent work to forced labour". The framework content can be operationalised to measure labour exploitation. It paves the way to better understand how different levels of exploitation affect migrant workers' health for global policymakers, health researchers, and professionals working in the field of migrant exploitation.

This is a book about labour exploitation. Labour exploitation tends to emerge when workers are subject to excessive and oppressive forms of control; controls that are rooted within workplaces and beyond. A central argument of the book is that it is time to study control and exploitation from a social harm perspective. This perspective is novel in the way that it questions a crime-orientated approach to issues and problems at work. Specifically, labour exploitation may exist without evidence of a crime being committed, and, only the most extreme cases of labour exploitation are ever effectively criminalised. Correspondingly, solutions to labour exploitation are needed that acknowledge the limitations of legal baselines. These involve a re-assessment of the contemporary structures within which work and workers are produced and reproduced. The book draws heavily on evidence from workers in the food supply chain, mainly of migrant origin, to reveal the face of labour control, exploitation and harm in contemporary contexts. In addition, policies shaping work/workers are profiled from across the world, some that facilitate harm and others that prevent it. The book concludes that it is time to contemplate the plight of the world’s workers as human beings, rather than to simply engage in research aimed at maximising the efficiency and productivity of labour. To this end, the dilemma is not about how to produce good and better workers, but how to produce good and better work.

Labour exploitation is a highly topical though complex issue that has international resonance for those concerned with social justice and social welfare, but there is a lack of research available about it. This book, part of the Studies in Social Harm series, is the first to look at labour exploitation from a social harm perspective, arguing that, as a global social problem, it should be located within the broader study of work-based harm. Written by an expert in policy orientated research, he critiques existing approaches to the study of workplace exploitation, abuse and forced labour. Mapping out a new sub-discipline, this innovative book aims to shift power from employers to workers to reduce levels of labour exploitation and work-based harm. It is relevant to academics from many fields as well as legislators, policy makers, politicians, employers, union officials, activists and consumers.

This contribution explores how cultural religious beliefs and practices of the Trokosi institution engender vulnerability to the recruitment of girls into bonded life, sexual and labor exploitation, and trafficking in Ghana. Here, trafficking and exploitation are conceptualized at three levels: (a) the family level where young girls are taken away from home through deception, false promises, abduction, threats, or coercion and moved elsewhere (e.g., from rural areas to towns); (b) intra and inter-community transfers; and (c) moving women and girls through marriage arrangements organized within the Trokosi (“slaves of the gods”) practice. The girls are often deceived about the destination, or their transfers are carried out through forced marriage arrangements. The above practice of transferring girls from one place to another and their sexual and labor exploitation fall within the UN Palermo Protocol definition of human trafficking and the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 29, respectively. This study therefore aims to enhance our understanding of how the underlying patriarchal power relations and violence against women, underpinned by traditional religious beliefs and practices in the Trokosi institution, perpetuate bondage, labor, and sexual exploitation and aid trafficking of children and young women among the Ewe communities of Ghana.

Environmentalism put to work: Ideologies of green recruitment in Toronto

In the emerging context of the knowledge economy, exploring how both the global economic environment and national context influence local research practices is of crucial importance. The Hwang scandal in South Korea illustrates a typical research practice geared towards the exploitation of labor and human resources in response to, and as part of, global competition in the life sciences. This article argues that the ongoing exploitation of young talent and labor in the Korean academic community, even after the scandal, represents the combined outcome of actors' interests, organizational power structures, and strategies of survival in a global knowledge system that constrains the conductivity of actors. Competition and exploitation are internalized in the self-governance of the life sciences, despite avowed commitments to more rational and democratic research practices at the institutional level.

The practice of labor exploitation is not new. Labor exploitation has been widespread since the colonial era. Some people use print media, social media, and even word-of-mouth to market. Although this is nothing new, labor exploitation is still happening and is growing more concerning. Due to the fact that it involves both domestic and international offenders, this is the case. between nations. The methods used in human trafficking crimes have become more complex as communication, information technology, and transformation have advanced. The criminals are looking for victims from the lower social classes. It is not unusual for offenders to help victims by giving them debt or company cash. Some even go so far as to give scholarships to those who want to pursue further education overseas. According to the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), which has verified this, human trafficking, particularly labor exploitation, does not discriminate. Because human trafficking, particularly labor exploitation, disregards age and gender. age and gender. Labor exploitation affects both men and women, as well as children and adults. Law No. 21/2007 on the Eradication of the Crime of Trafficking in Humans, Law No. 18/2017 on the Protection of Workers, and Law no. 18/2017 on the Protection of Migrant Workers all prohibits the trafficking of humans for the purpose of labor exploitation. Workers who are migrants. This paper addresses several topics, including the criminal law's prohibitions against trafficking in persons for the purpose of labor exploitation, the need for immediate enforcement of these prohibitions, and the elements that contribute to trafficking in persons for the purpose of labor exploitation. labor exploitation, as well as elements that contribute to human trafficking for the prevalence of labor exploitation is increasing. Labor exploitation is becoming more and more common. The descriptive analytical method was employed in the study. method of analytical descriptive research. It is anticipated that this research will offer a complete, methodical, and exhaustive analysis.

Despite a solid legal framework, labour exploitation seems to be “the way of production”in the Italian agricultural sector, built around the goal of cutting costs and maximisingprofits through underpayment of wages. Long working hours and underpayments,physical and psychological violence, the control over the workers’ mobility and extrapaymentsfor food and water have led the media to decry the existence of “modernslavery”. The paper aims to provide a picture of the phenomenon, overcoming a stereotypicalperception of victims while challenging the assumption that criminal law isthe panacea. Indeed, the contention is that a better understanding of the phenomenonand its complexities might suggest a more promising range of tools for action.The article is divided into three sections. After an introduction of the issues at stakewithin the EU context, official statistics on recorded crime at the global, European andnational levels are presented and their reliability discussed. All available estimates andofficial statistics on recorded crime can only ever show a fraction of the full volumeof the phenomenon as defined, captured and processed by institutional mechanisms.Importantly, victims – the key resources of information – are reluctant to report theirexperiences to the authorities since they fear deportation. This places huge challengeson the identification of potential cases. The second section focuses on the Italianagriculture and its own peculiarities (e.g. prevalence of undeclared work and illegalgangmastering). Italy is at the centre of the reflection to provide tangible exampleswithin a global perspective, at the intersection of labour market and migration policies.Four cases are analysed to grasp the complexity of the context in which exploitationoccurs: i) a case of slavery in the Apulian countryside; ii) “double exploitation” ofRomanian women in Sicilian greenhouses; iii) the case of the Sikh community exploitedin Central Italy, and iv) exploitative working conditions in the “quality food” productchains in the North of Italy. This paper seeks, indeed, to follow the teaching thatcriminology stands as the empirical basis for criminal law. Such a focus on cases isintended to develop a conceptual model of the business of labour exploitation to deepenthe understanding of its modus operandi, expanding the knowledge about how labourexploitation allows businesses to turn a profit. The very lesson to be learned is that,in Italy, labour exploitation seems to be “the way of production” rather than a “few badapples”. As a result, consumers can easily come into contact with labour exploitationwhenever they eat, although they are increasingly pressing companies to act responsibly.The third section investigates who is a victim of labour exploitation, bearing in mindthat stereotypes influence social perceptions regarding victims of crime. The realitycoming out is more complex and fraught than what media usually report. Indeed,media tend to reproduce stereotypical images, involving extreme violence and control,organised crime groups and illegal immigration, missing a wider discussion of whatwould need to be changed to prevent exploitation from penetrating food supplychains. Subsequently, the concept of corporate crime is introduced. This may helpto conceptualise labour exploitation as made up by the organisation’s structure, alsoshedding light on labour exploitation as a form of negligence by the State. Finally,specific policy recommendations are made for strengthening the currently availableredress, leaving criminal law tools as the last resort. Society needs a long-term targetedand multi-level strategy addressing, in a coherent way, the many intertwined factorsthat leave workers vulnerable, both individual factors (e.g. poverty, discrimination,precarious legal status, etc.) and deficiencies in the regulation of labour market andthe global economy (e.g. general lack of economic opportunities, cuts in the socialservices budgets, lack of legal and viable migratory channels, etc.). On the contrary,toughening the State response to vulnerable workers who have fallen in breach of immigration regulations will have the effect of locking more people into systemsof “modern slavery” without any hope of protection from the law.Going beyond the most traditional “black letter” methodology in legal research,the paper addresses “law in action”. Researching “in law”, legal texts and relevantcase-law will work as a backup to understanding the current legal frameworkaimed to counter labour exploitation. In researching “about law”, the economicand sociological implications are taken into account in order to gain empiricalknowledge and an understanding of how the law and legal proceedings impact onthe parties involved. This is done also for the purpose of evaluating the effectivenessof the current (intertwined) legal framework and, if needed, to facilitate a futurechange in the regulations.

The growing political, legal and academic attention to the phenomena grouped under the umbrella term ‘trafficking in persons’ over the last two decades resulted in various instruments defining trafficking and related concepts, and initiatives promoting different strategies towards its eradication. Many of those instruments and initiatives focused on trafficking for prostitution or sexual exploitation. Yet, awareness of the need to address severe labour exploitation within the trafficking framework is also growing. With this awareness, scholars and activists debate whether what was developed as a criminal justice response to smuggling and prostitution is an appropriate framework to address labour exploitation and systematic failures to protect vulnerable workers.1Labour Exploitation in Human Trafficking Law is a welcome and important addition to these debates. The book relies on international and domestic (Belgium and England and Wales) standards and case-law to consider the legal frameworks for severe labour exploitation—both established and emerging. The term ‘labour exploitation’ is used to consider together established legal definitions—slavery, servitude and forced labour—both as ‘stand-alone’ offences, and as the result of trafficking in persons under the trafficking umbrella. The notion of trafficking focuses on forced or coerced movement, especially across borders. The criminalisation of movement is at the heart of the dominant approach to trafficking. Labour Exploitation in Human Trafficking Law, while still looking at criminal justice interventions, shifts the focus from facilitation of movement to its purpose, the exploitation itself. It does so in four parts. The book’s contribution to academic literature and debates is strongest in the first and last parts, and in the conceptualisation resulting from their combination.

Trafficking of children for labour exploitation is a profit-oriented criminal activity by which children are recruited, transported, harboured or received for the purpose of labour exploitation irrespective of whether or not force, abduction, fraud or other means were used. This paper examines child labour trafficking in the context of human rights violations and as the worst form of child labour. In an attempt to situate the discourse of alleged labour exploitation and trafficking of Roma children in Montenegro, focusing in particular on instances of child begging, this paper offers an overview of the international legal framework as well as the Government of Montenegro?s policy framework relevant to this issue; an analysis of implicated historical, familial and cultural structures; and focuses on identifying root causes in terms of push-pull factors that are associated with enhancing children?s vulnerability and proneness to exploitation. Along with a set of recommendations, in closing, the paper calls for a more sophisticated analysis of child labour trafficking and, in the case of Roma children, a more nuanced understanding of historical and cultural pretexts against the backdrop of labour trafficking.

As part of the global agenda to eliminate all forms of violence against women (VAW), there has been significant investments in areas of family and intimate partner violence. Simultaneously, human trafficking has been predominant on the international stage with a focus on labour and migration-related abuse and exploitation of women and girls. Within public policy, law and welfare infrastructures, VAW and migrant labour exploitation have been approached and responded to as distinct and separate issues. Drawing on empirical research across eight Southeast Asian countries, we highlight how women migrant workers experience both VAW and labour exploitation as interconnected. Yet, system responses largely silo VAW and trafficking, particularly in terms of responding to victim survivors. We consider the implications of this for developing meaningful national and transnational strategies to address gendered violence. While we focus on ASEAN countries many national responses to VAW and human trafficking are not founded on the recognition of the significant interconnections between gendered violence in the labour and personal sphere. We argue that in the midst of national and international efforts to respond to gendered exploitation and abuse, there is an opportunity to shift away from the ‘type’ of victimisation towards prioritising the protection and restoration of women’s safety in all aspects of their lives.

Exploitation of Labor and Exploitation of Commodities

Human trafficking, particularly involving children and women for forced labour and sexual exploitation, remains a pressing global issue. Despite international efforts, including the United Nations' Global Program Against Trafficking in Human Beings (GPAT) and the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, an estimated 40.3 million people worldwide remain trapped in modern slavery, generating $150 billion annually. Sub-Saharan Africa, especially West Africa, is severely impacted, with Nigeria being the largest source of trafficked victims. Annually, about 100,000 Nigerians are trafficked for sexual and labour exploitation, often across borders, with the Nigerian and Benin Republic borders serving as hotspots for such activities. This study investigates the root causes and trends of human trafficking along this border, focusing on Oyo State, which shares three recognized international borders with the Republic of Benin. Using snowball and purposive sampling techniques, interviews were conducted with immigration officers, alongside thematic analysis of secondary data from immigration reports and published articles. The findings highlight the role of conflict theory in understanding trafficking, with factors such as border corruption, economic mismanagement, political instability, unemployment, poverty, porous borders, and weak rule of- law enforcement contributing to the problem. The study underscores gaps in existing policies and calls for coordinated efforts from government authorities, civil society, and international partners to effectively combat modern slavery in Nigeria and Africa

The criminal law approach to modern forms of slavery in global supply chains This contribution focuses on modern forms of slavery, more specifically labor exploitation. Slavery has been criminalized in the Netherlands as human trafficking. One form of human trafficking is labor exploitation. The authors focus on labor exploitation in global supply chains of Dutch companies. First, they scrutinize the possibilities that Dutch criminal law provides to hold companies liable for labor exploitation in their global supply chain. Subsequently, they analyze Dutch case law on labor exploitation, to identify cases that took place in supply chains abroad. Finally the authors discuss what barriers and difficulties arise in – eventually – establishing liability for these international forms of labor exploitation.