Weekly Update 5 June
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
We advance human rights in business. We track over 10,000 companies, and help the vulnerable eradicate abuse.
LEAD STORY
International Transport Workers' Federation?
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) described?Middle East Marine's treatment of its workers as?‘the worst case of serial seafarer abandonment ever seen’.?One seafarer?said: 'My salary hasn’t been paid for more than 3 months – but there are some crew members unpaid for as long as 7 months. The company did not supply provisions and fresh water...our families are [going into]?debt to survive.”?Maritime authorities from Palau - the country the ship is registered to - are reportedly?yet to act on the situation. ? Since November 2022, the ITF has reported cases of abandonment across?vessels in Bangladesh, India, the Maldives?and Sri Lanka. Seafarers from India, Indonesia?and Myanmar have faced extremely poor conditions, including lack of food, dirty drinking water, withheld passports and medication, refusal of medical treatment, and unpaid wages.?We invited?Middle East Marine to respond to the allegations; it did not.?
See also; the UN?has logged an increasing number of crew members abandoned by shipowners -?with more than?2,000 seafarers on 150 ships abandoned last year.?Sailors are often left aboard for months and sometimes years without pay.?The number of cases is allegedly at its highest since the UN’s labour and maritime organisations began tracking abandonments 20 years ago, spiking during?the global pandemic?and continuing to rise as?inflation?and?logistical bottlenecks?increased costs for shipowners.
FROM US
Jennifer Gordon, Fordham Law School
Effective remedies for forced labour must include the full participation and engagement of workers alongside regulation, including forced labour import bans and legally binding agreements, if they are to be impactful and durable, argues Jennifer Gordon, Professor of Law at Fordham Law School. Remedying forced labour must be about compensation for the harms victims have suffered, as well as 'about the future, ensuring workers don't return to the same conditions the day after they are repaid'.
BHR IN CONFLICT-AFFECTED AREAS
ISRAEL/OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Politico?
France has banned Israeli defence companies from participating in Eurosatory, one of the world's largest arms shows, over Israel's ongoing war on Gaza and its recent attacks on ‘safe zones’ in Rafah. An official from the French armed forces ministry said in a statement ‘the conditions are no longer ripe for welcoming Israeli companies to the French show, at a time when the French president is calling for an end to Israeli operations in Rafah’. The statement went on to urgently call for a ceasefire, the release of all hostages and full access for humanitarian aid.
MYANMAR
Global Witness
Unregulated mines in Myanmar are an essential source of transition minerals used in electric vehicles and wind turbines worldwide, but it is argued that this?trade fuels conflict and environmental damage in Myanmar. An investigation by Global Witness finds imports of heavy rare earth oxides from Myanmar by?China surged to 41,700 tonnes in 2023, exceeding China’s domestic mining quota. China’s state-owned China Rare Earths Group?processes much of Myanmar’s rare earths, supplying major magnet manufacturers like JL Mag and ZH Mag. These magnets are used by major wind turbine and electric vehicle companies including Brose, Nissan, Siemens Gamesa, Tesla, Toyota and Volkswagen. Global Witness contacted all downstream companies named for comment. Of those that responded, Brose said ‘we have confirmed with our supplier that our products are free of any rare earth minerals sourced from Myanmar'. Nissan said ‘we are committed to working with our business partners … to enhance transparency and traceability in our supply chain.’ Toyota said they would investigate Global Witness’ claims and ask suppliers ‘to make corrective improvement actions.’
AFRICA
New Dawn?
Local communities reportedly claim Soar Mining Company?is engaging in illegal?mining operations before?compensation agreements - including the offer of monthly payments and local infrastructure projects -?have been confirmed.?A spokesperson for the company claims it is 'engaged?in prospection' and 'real mining activity' has not begun in the area, as it awaits permits.?
Business Day?
CSOs have complained about the exclusion of host communities in the negotiations following the federal government commissioning of a lithium processing plant in Nasarawa state by Chinese firm Avatar New Energy Materials Company Limited.?A spokesperson from the Community Development Advocacy Foundation said mining must respect human rights and environmental standards, including the communities' right to free, prior, and informed consent, noting that metals and minerals crucial for the renewable transition are frequently extracted from Indigenous lands and in biodiversity hotspots. A spokesperson from the Renevlyn Development Initiative highlighted concerns regarding the social, economic and environmental implications of lithium mining on the host communities, including increased crime rate, child labour, and water pollution.
AMERICAS
UNI Global Union, Revista Fórum?
Workers at Hapvida NotreDame Intermédica Group held a protest?in May.?The workers demanded an end to understaffing, a ban on harassment in the workplace, and decent treatment for patients, who they say?suffer as a result of staff working conditions. We invited Hapvida NotreDame Intermédica Group to respond to the allegations; it did not. ?
TeleSur TV?
In Jujuy, Argentina, Indigenous communities and local groups held protests demanding authorities comply with laws?stipulating?that governments must conduct free, prior, and informed consent consultations with the local population regarding the management of common resources. Critics argue the water management deal with state-owned Israeli company Mekorot prioritises corporate interests and lacks transparency. This was?after the Indigenous peoples of the Jujuy province were excluded from the first meeting of the ‘Water Table,’ in which local authorities presented details of the 2024 Agreement with Mekorot. Activists also expressed concerns over Mekorot’s activities in Israel, where the company has been accused of limiting Palestinians' access to water.?We invited?Mekorot to respond to the?allegations; it did not.??
Politico?
The families of victims from the 2022 Uvalde school shooting have sued social media platform Meta and video game creator Activision Blizzard, alleging the companies contributed to the tragedy by ‘grooming’ the teenage gunman responsible for the school shooting which resulted in the deaths of 19 students and 2 teachers. The lawsuits contend Georgia-based gun manufacturer Daniel Defense used Meta-owned social platform Instagram and Activision?Blizzard -?maker of the Call of Duty video game franchise - to market the weapon used by the gunman. The complainants argue?these platforms have enabled gun manufacturers to bypass regulations and directly influence minors. In a statement ?Activision Blizzard?expressed sympathies to the victims' families and said 'Millions of people around the world enjoy video games without turning to horrific acts.'?Meta and Daniel Defense did not respond to journalists' requests for comment.?
ASIA & PACIFIC
Le Monde with AFP, the Guardian, Forbes?
Inspections found phthalates -?harmful chemicals known to cause hormone disruptions and linked to heart disease, some cancers and fertility problems - present in high quantities in children's products sold by the online shopping giant. A Shein spokesperson said the company ‘takes product safety very seriously…Upon learning of any claim against our products, we immediately remove the product(s) from our site.’?
See also;?Shein has announced plans to go public on the London Stock Exchange amid scrutiny over labour practices.
See also; new research reveals alarming levels of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in water near Bangladesh's garment factories. The study found high concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water samples from Dhaka, exceeding EU and US regulatory limits. The chemicals have been linked to a range of serious illnesses, including cancer, kidney disease, birth defects, decreased immunity and liver problems.?
Transient Workers Count Too?
Interviewing 63 migrants in construction and engineering, the report found workers paid an average of USD4,000 in recruitment fees, equating to, on average, 96% of their annual starting salary. Low wages mean it can take up to 4 years for workers to repay recruitment fees and associated loans, often leaving them in debt if employment ends early. Workers reported experiencing scams, paying for jobs that did not materialise or paying for jobs with salaries or conditions different to those promised. ?
领英推荐
American Bar Association, Center for Human Rights? ?
Human rights defenders opposing the government-supported project allege the land was transferred to M/s JSW Utkal Steel Ltd. (JUSL) in 2017 without the consent of local Indigenous populations. According to the report, individuals organising against the project have faced arbitrary arrests, torture?and restricted movement, while peaceful protests have been met with force by police and company supporters and gender-based violence against women human rights defenders. JUSL responded to journalists, outlining its human rights and due diligence policies, which it says prevent and mitigate human rights violations in relation to its activities.?
EUROPE & CENTRAL ASIA
Radio Free Europe, Asia-Plus?
A report on migrant workers in Hungary described?a recent case where over 200 Kyrgyz workers lost their jobs at a factory owned by SK On Hungary. The workers reportedly paid thousands to Kyrgyz agencies Alfa Works and Ramai Sayakat Agency for jobs in Hungary, and were denied severance pay. SK On Hungary said there had not been layoffs, but it had ‘terminated the renting of approximately 600 foreign guest workers’ and was not required to pay severance pay because it did not employ the workers, but ‘rented them’. Ramai Sayakat Agency said ‘companies go bankrupt sometimes’ and ‘this kind of thing happens’. Alfa Works did not respond to the journalists’ request for comment.? Meanwhile, 150 Tajik migrant workers were reportedly charged over USD1,500 each for non-existent seasonal farm jobs in the UK by recruitment company Davri Istiqlol. The agency's head has been detained in Dushanbe, accused of fraud and ‘organising illegal migration’. We invited Davri Istiqlol to respond to the article; it did not.
Manchester Evening News, the Guardian?
A migrant worker at Dementia Care & Support at Home claimed?he worked 15 hour shifts, was asked to perform unpaid work, and was underpaid in his final salary. Management at the Salford-based care firm allegedly also told migrant workers they would be 'sent back to their country' if they complained about working conditions. A spokesperson for the company said it is investigating ‘pay issues’, but denied allegations staff members threatened to revoke workers visas.?
See also; British social care agencies have been accused of exploiting foreign workers , leaving people living in poverty as they struggle to pay off debts run up while trying to secure jobs which?fail to materialise. 30 Indian migrant workers at 11 different care providers reportedly told the Guardian they paid thousands of pounds to agents to secure jobs working in UK care homes or residential care, with most finding limited or no employment when they arrived.?
Human Rights Watch?
The European Commission should include independent civil society groups in ongoing talks with Malaysia and Indonesia over its anti-deforestation rules, a delegation of Indigenous, human rights?and environmental organisations has said. In June 2023, the 2 Southeast Asian countries formed a task force with the European Commission to resolve tensions over the implementation of a vital new EU law to tackle global deforestation (the Deforestation-free Products Regulation). But frontline organisations representing Indigenous peoples and other local?communities affected by deforestation have?reportedly been left out of the task force meetings.?
See also; corporate accountability is a central human rights issue in upcoming European elections ,?taking place between 6 and 9 June 2024, says Human Rights Watch.
MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA
Türkiye: Court annuls Kale Mining expansion permit in Latmos Mountains over environmental concerns ?
Bianet?
The Ayd?n Administrative Court annulled the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change’s permit allowing a capacity increase for Kale Mining in the Latmos Mountains, ruling the project would negatively impact olive groves, agricultural lands, the environment, and local soil and water resources in the area. The Ministry had previously granted an Environmental Impact Assessment decision for the expansion of Kale Mining's quarry operations in the area. This decision was contested by local environmental group Latmos Platform, which filed a lawsuit demanding a halt to mining activities in the region.?
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