COVID-19

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the novel coronavirus that was first identified in Wuhan, China in 2019. COVID-19 has spread globally and has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The virus is primarily spread through respiratory droplets and can cause a range of symptoms, from mild to severe, including fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. COVID-19 has had a significant impact on global health and the economy and efforts are ongoing to control the spread of the virus and develop treatments and vaccines.

 

52 women, girls fall victim to human trafficking in Namibia
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52 women, girls fall victim to human trafficking in Namibia

This has been revealed by a global report on human trafficking released late last month. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2022 report on human trafficking shows 52 women and girls were trafficked in Namibia between 2017 and 2020, while 43 men and boys were trafficked. Overall 95 Namibians were trafficked during…

California may ban forced prison labor, servitude
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California may ban forced prison labor, servitude

Lawmakers backing the legislation hope to replicate the success of similar measures that passed last fall in Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont. SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Lawmakers in Nevada and California are advancing legislation to remove “involuntary servitude” from their states’ constitutions, a move that follows four states’ bans on forced labor that passed in ballot…

US is slow to mandate fair conditions for prison labor
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US is slow to mandate fair conditions for prison labor

Jamal Andress February 15, 2023, 5:43 PM From uniforms to bed sheets to state flags, U.S. prisons have a long history of profiting from prison labor. The Bureau of Prisons, which houses federal inmates, sells products through its company Unicor. Unicor brought in $528 million in 2021 alone. Similarly, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice sells products…

US depends on prison labor, but is slow to mandate fair conditions
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US depends on prison labor, but is slow to mandate fair conditions

From uniforms to bed sheets to state flags, U.S. prisons have a long history of profiting from prison labor. The Bureau of Prisons, which houses federal inmates, sells products through its company Unicor. Unicor brought in $528 million in 2021 alone. Similarly, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice sells products through Texas Correctional Industries. TCI brought in roughly $82…

How a Giant Egg Farm Made Money Off Women Prisoners in Dangerous Conditions
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How a Giant Egg Farm Made Money Off Women Prisoners in Dangerous Conditions

1. Mayhem “Everybody who works at Hickman’s, get up! Pack your stuff—you’re being moved today!” Corrections officers swarmed the Santa Rosa Unit at the Perryville women’s prison in Goodyear, Arizona, barking orders and handing out trash bags for belongings. Many women were alarmed. We’re being moved to Hickman’s? How? The officers weren’t sharing a lot…

Poe seeks Senate probe into possible human trafficking at NAIA using private aircraft
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Poe seeks Senate probe into possible human trafficking at NAIA using private aircraft

Senator Grace Poe on Wednesday called for a Senate investigation into possible human trafficking activities using private aircraft at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). During Wednesday’s session, Poe delivered a privilege speech about an alleged human trafficking incident on February 13 involving an aircraft operated by Cloud Nine No. 1 Leasing Company Ltd., a…

Why our thinking on human rights at sea should not end with seafarers
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Why our thinking on human rights at sea should not end with seafarers

It is generally accepted that human rights apply at sea, although there is no convention recognizing or proclaiming the existence and extent of such rights. However, the rights of those at sea continue to be abused. In recent years, much of the focus has rightly been on seafarers and the situation is improving, although there…

The Bali Process Eighth Ministerial Conference, Co-Chairs' Statement – World | ReliefWeb
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The Bali Process Eighth Ministerial Conference, Co-Chairs' Statement – World | ReliefWeb

Joint Statement 11 February 2023 The Eighth Ministerial Conference and Third Government and Business Forum of the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime (Bali Process) co-chaired by the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia and Australia were held in Adelaide, Australia, 10 February 2023. The meetings reviewed developments in the Bali…

COVID-19, Climate Change, Impunity & Conflicts Aggravating Human Trafficking – IDN-InDepthNews
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COVID-19, Climate Change, Impunity & Conflicts Aggravating Human Trafficking – IDN-InDepthNews

By Aurora Weiss VIENNA (IDN) — The COVID-19 pandemic has increased human trafficking using social networks and the Internet as a platform, Lead Author of the UNODC Global Reports on Trafficking in Persons, Fabricio Sarrica, told IDN. He was highlighting some salient aspects of the 2022 UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, the seventh…

Biden Pledged to Take On “Junk Fees.” He Should Start With Jails and Prisons.
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Biden Pledged to Take On “Junk Fees.” He Should Start With Jails and Prisons.

In what was probably the first reference to “junk fees” during a State of the Union address, President Joe Biden said Tuesday that his administration is cracking down on “those hidden surcharges too many companies use to make you pay more” and urged Congress to pass legislation expanding on the effort. “The idea that cable,…