Publications

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Fyffes Farms Exposed: The Fight for Justice in the Honduran Melon Fields

Publication Date: 

April 21, 2020

Thousands of miles away from U.S. supermarket shelves, the melon workers of southern Honduras are standing up to a global fruit giant that has long used their labor but never respected their rights.

Fyffes is the billion-dollar fruit company that most Americans have never heard of. They are the top importer of melons to the United States, which are sold in supermarkets across the country. They are also the number one supplier of bananas into Europe.

Time for a Sea Change: Why union rights for migrant workers are needed to prevent forced labor in the Thai seafood industry

Publication Date: 

March 19, 2020

Trade union rights are central to preventing forced labor. Industries with strong trade union representation have lower levels of labor abuse, child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. In Thailand, where migrant workers are legally barred from forming their own unions, labor abuse and exploitation are endemic to the country’s migrant-dominated labor sectors, such as seafood processing and fishing.

Comments Concerning Ranking of Thailand by U.S. Department of State in 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report

Publication Date: 

March 10, 2020

In 2019, the Government of Thailand amended and enacted laws and policies to bring Thai law in compliance with the International Labour Organization (ILO) Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labor Convention (P29) and ILO Convention on Work in Fishing (C188). While the policy changes are welcomed by the Seafood Working Group (SWG) coalition members, there has been little actual change on the ground. Even with the legal improvements made over the past year, Thai workers and migrant workers are still vulnerable to forced labor and human trafficking.

Comments on Ranking of Turkmenistan by U.S. Dept of State in 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report

Publication Date: 

February 28, 2020

The Cotton Campaign strongly recommends that the Department of State continues to issue a Tier 3 ranking to Turkmenistan, as the government continues to deny that it uses forced labor in cotton harvesting and has made no efforts to address or combat the drivers of systematic, government-sponsored forced labor. 

Comments on Ranking of Uzbekistan by U.S. Dept of State in 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report

Publication Date: 

February 28, 2020

Over the last year, significant developments have taken place in Uzbekistan with regard to forced labor in the cotton sector and the government’s reform process. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has led his government in a vital shift in tone and substance to end forced labor in the cotton sector, making strong public commitments, enacting several key reforms, and increasing accountability measures.

Combatting Forced Labor and Enforcing Workers’ Rights Using the Tariff Act

Publication Date: 

February 25, 2020

The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 25 million people are living in forced labor situations. An estimated $150 billion dollars in profits a year are generated off the backs of the men, women, and children who are forced to work. The trafficking of men and boys into the seafood industry is well documented. Recent reports revealed mounting evidence of the system of forced labor in camps in Xinjiang, China.  Meanwhile, in Malawi's tobacco and Indonesia's palm oil sectors, families are trafficked across their country only to be trapped in debt bondage.

Statement on U.S. Government Decision to Suspend Thailand’s Trade Preferences Due to Worker Rights Issues

Publication Date: 

December 10, 2019

On October 25, 2019, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that the U.S. government would suspend $1.3 billion in trade preferences for Thailand under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) based on its “failure to adequately provide internationally-recognized worker rights… such as protections for freedom of association and collective bargaining”.

Pakistan's Garment Workers Need a Safety Accord

Publication Date: 

September 11, 2019

On 11 September 2012, Ali Enterprises burned to the ground in Baldia Town, Karachi, killing over 250 workers, making it the most deadly factory fire ever. Today, textile and garment factories in Pakistan remain just as unsafe as they were seven years ago. Although multiple initiatives aimed at addressing workplace safety have been initiated in Pakistan since then, they lack the necessary elements that must be in place to ensure safety. All of these initiatives have limited transparency and none of them are enforceable.

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