A new EU law would require thousands of multinational companies, including many based in the US, to look for signs of human rights abuses in their supply chains.
Mexican migrant workers harvest parsley on a farm in Wellington, Colo.
John Moore/Getty Images
Agriculture is one of the most dangerous industries in the US, with workers exposed to vehicles, chemicals and heavy equipment. Women working on farms face another risk: sexual assault.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law in 2023 that lets children under 16 work without official permission from their parents.
AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo
Some of the biggest changes to child labor laws are in Iowa and Arkansas.
Lewis Wickes Hine, ‘A little spinner in a Georgia Cotton Mill, 1909.’
Gelatin silver print, 5 x 7 in. The Photography Collections, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (P545)
Beth Saunders, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
While Lewis Hine’s early-20th century photographs of working children compelled Congress to limit or ban child labor, the US Department of Labor is now under fire for failing to enforce these laws.
Canada has joined a growing list of nations that have introduced legislation to combat modern slavery in supply chains.
(Paul Teysen/Unsplash)
If we have learned anything from the fight against modern slavery, it is that addressing the issue takes extensive time, resources and long-term commitments.
Easter has its bunnies, but chocolate comes out for every holiday.
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Two food scientists, an entomologist, an anthropologist, a veterinarian and a historian walk into a bar (of chocolate) and tell bitter and sweet stories of this favorite treat.
Forced labour, bonded labour and forced child labour affect millions of people worldwide.
(Shutterstock)
While it may be challenging for organizations to manage all the activities within their global supply chains, there are best practices they can adopt to prevent modern slavery.
Forced laborers lived in prison cells at one palm oil plantation in Indonesia.
Kiki Cahyadi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
An anthropologist writes that despite best efforts, there is no guarantee that children may not have been exploited in the production process of chocolate.
The rug designs tend to contain symbols – AK-47s, 9/11 and drones – that reflect an outsider’s understanding of war.
Kevin Sudeith, courtesy of WarRug.com
Children’s work circumstances put their welfare in danger, policy and action are needed urgently from government and non-governmental organisations.
These boys working in a Georgia cotton mill were photographed in 1909.
Lewis Hine/The National Child Labor Committee Collection via Library of Congress
More than a fifth of US children were working in 1900, and many Americans saw nothing wrong with that. It took decades of activism and court battles plus economic upheaval to change course.
Nigeria must do more on child rights
Shutterranger/Shutterstock
All 36 states in Nigeria must adopt the Child Rights Act to safeguard their children.
Bangladeshi child labourers work at a balloon factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Consumers must demand products made under favourable working conditions.
(AP Photo/A.M Ahad)
The food we eat and the products we use should not contribute to human misery. While companies hold some blame, so do consumers who avoid dealing with the consequences of their purchasing decisions.
Ngwe Thein says he was forced to work on a fishing trawler with inadequate food and little or no pay.
APTN, Esther Htusan/AP Photo